A Northumbria Police operation to stop a suspected stolen car which included a police helicopter diverged on the Metrocentre this afternoon.
The car had been tracked by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter as it travelled from St Marks Way in South Shields and members of Northumbria Police's Motor Patrols team.
The vehicle was found abandoned in a multi-storey car park and police say the the occupants had fled from the scene.