Driver led police on terrifying late-night chase
CARS HIT 70MPH IN 20MPH ZONE – AND ENDED UP ON TV
TWO men involved in a high-speed police chase reached 70mph in a 20mph speed limit zone as they tried to evade capture.
Officers were patrolling in St Ann’s when they spotted a Peugeot 607.
Following intelligence, they went to investigate but it soon took a sharp left on to Hungerhill Road and sped off.
The police switched on their car’s blue lights but this had no effect as the driver just carried on.
Trained tactical pursuit officers, including PC Rob Eley, were called in to bring the stop the car.
The driver reached 70mph as he raced through residential areas, and narrowly missed a police car in his desperate attempt to escape.
But as he reached the junction of Mapperley Hall Drive and Woodland Drive in Mapperley, he lost control.
He tried to reverse – but the police interceptors were prepared and quickly boxed his car in.
They quickly detained the man following the incident at around 1.25am on September 1 last year.
Craig Ingle, 48, of no fixed address, was sentenced to a year in prison and disqualified from driving for five years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court in January.
He was found guilty of dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.
The hair-raising pursuit was shown in last night’s episode of Police Interceptors on Channel
5.
PC Eley said: “Speed limits are in place for a reason, and, in particular where it is a 20mph zone it is likely because it is a highly built-up area which sees lots of footfall.
“Ingle took many, many risks driving how he did and travelling at such speeds and we are thankful this was in the early hours of the morning where the roads were slightly quieter and that no-one was injured.
“When we were called up for support, it was imperative we acted quickly. Our priority is to keep members of the public safe – and the longer a pursuit goes on, the more risky it tends to get.
“So, as a team it was really important to work together to keep sight of him and bring him to a stop as soon as possible and prevent any conclusion that could potentially be disastrous. We saw him come towards us as the pursuit came through the Forest Fields area and we worked on our tactical plan to stop him.
“He lost control as he came to a dead end and we took that opportunity to stop him for good.
“We boxed him in and I took the initiative to block off the driver’s door to stop any chance that he would get away on foot.
“Shortly after, he was detained. It was definitely a relief when we got to stop him as he was showing a complete disregard for us and the road. It’s also pleasing to hear that he got a custodial sentence.
“It’s a reminder to anyone who tries to escape officers that we are highly trained tactical pursuit drivers and when there’s a team of us following them its only a matter of time before their luck runs out.”
He lost control as he came to a dead end and we took that opportunity to stop him for good PC Rob Eley