A reckless and dangerous driver who prompted a four-mile pursuit which saw him twice reverse into a police car, then drive at an officer, has been jailed thanks to the hard work of officers from West Midlands Police.
Cops in an unmarked police vehicle tried to stop Michael Gaffey (below) who was speeding in Shirley just after 2315 hours on 25 July last year.
West Midlands Police have released body-worn video camera footage of the incident as it unfolded (scroll down) and it
Gaffey ignored the blue lights in Union Road before hitting speeds of up to 80mph – causing other road users to take evasive action – as he attempted to flee.
Gaffey, clearly concerned about only his own safety, eventually appeared to come to a stop in Tyth Barn Lane, Dickens Heath, but then suddenly reversed his VW Polo into a police car at considerable speed.
The alert police driver managed to quickly move the unmarked vehicle to avoid significant impact and then managed to start following the Polo again as it made off once again from the police.
Gaffey came to stop for a second time on a walkway off Rumbush Lane but then again reversed into the cop’s car causing the airbags to inflate and officers to be temporarily blinded by the powder that was emitted from the deployment of the airbags.
Although the officers suffered back and slight burn injuries from the airbags they quickly got out of their vehicle to try and detain Gaffey .
However, as one of the officers approached the Polo he reversed towards him – forcing the officer to jump clear and thus no-doubt avoiding a serious injury.
Gaffey abandoned his damaged car shortly afterwards but quick-time enquiries established that it belonged to one of his associates. He was promptly established as the prime suspect and arrested.
He was also banned from the road for five-and-a-half years.
Pc Anne Butler, from force CID at Solihull, said:
“Gaffey ’s reckless driving put lives, including those of police officers, at risk.
“But they refused to be deterred and thanks to their accounts, and those of other witnesses, we were able to trace Gaffey and put him behind bars.”
The footage below show the sort of dangerous challenges which our police officers face on a daily basis as they try to bring violent offenders to justice.
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