A senior cop has condemned a dangerous driver who rammed two police vehicles and caused significant damage to another during a high-speed pursuit.
Shortly after 3.30 pm on Wednesday 30th September, police were on patrol in the West Farm Avenue area of Longbenton when a vehicle failed to stop when instructed.
The black Saab – which police believe to have been stolen – was seen travelling at 100 mph in a 50mph zone and almost collided with a cyclist while reaching speeds of over 70mph through a densely populated residential area.
Following a short pursuit, the offending driver slowed down and allowed police to pull alongside him. But within seconds, the driver slammed down the accelerator and deliberately rammed the marked police vehicle.
Again making off from the scene, the Saab was spotted a short time later on Durham Road in Cramlington with three police cars following behind.
Knowing the game was almost up, the driver slammed into another of the police cars, causing it to spin before officers carried out a tactical contact manoeuvre to bring the offending vehicle to a stop.
A 32-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving and remains in police custody. Thankfully, no officers were injured, but three police vehicles were damaged as a result of the pursuit.
Chief Inspector Sam Rennison, of Northumbria Police’s Operations Department, condemned the driver’s actions and said it was “sheer luck” that nobody was seriously hurt.
“This was an appalling incident which placed a significant demand on police resources and led to three of our vehicles being damaged,” she said.
“The driver in question showed a total disregard for both the law and the livelihoods of others, providing a serious risk of harm to other road users and police. It’s sheer luck that nobody was seriously injured.
“Our officers come to work each day knowing they could be faced with dangerous situations and clearly putting public safety before their own is paramount – but when they are faced with such needless behaviour, it is important that those offenders are dealt with robustly.
“I would like to thank everyone concerned for their outstanding skill shown in order to bring this vehicle to a safe stop, without any injury caused to themselves or the wider public.”
Police will also be pursuing compensation to cover the costs of the damage caused from the driver.
Northumbria Police has asked anyone within Northumbria who has dashcam footage of somebody driving dangerously or recklessly to upload the clip at the ‘Report an Incident’ page of their website.
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Until we get some proper punishments in place for criminals, budding and hardened alike, this behaviour will only get worse.