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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Niva Yadav

Stolen van in high speed ‘wrong way’ chase on A20 before being rammed off road by Met Police

The van was later rammed by police - (@mybromley)

Shocking footage shows a stolen van driving down the wrong side of a dual carriageway in a high-speed police chase.

The white Citroen van was seen dodging cars on the A20 eastbound in Kent on Sunday, narrowly dodging several other motorists.

The van is seen zigzagging and flashing its indicator lights, before exiting off a slip road.

The Met Police was forced to ram the vehicle off the road near Bromley in south-east London, finally arresting the 23-year-old driver on Mottingham Road after a 17-mile chase, The Sun reported.

The driver was alleged to have smashed a window and stolen the van from an address in Swanscombe at around 2:55pm. The owner of the property is believed to have been known to the suspect.

Officers spotted the vehicle at around 6:45pm on Sunday after it was reported stolen earlier that day. But the driver failed to stop and began speeding towards London.

The vehicle was brought to a halt using tactical contact on Mottingham Road, where the man is understood to have fled on foot. Officers chased him and caught him, handcuffing him as he was taken to the ground.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking, criminal damage, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and failing to stop for police.

He remains in custody while enquiries continue.

It is understood that one Met Police officer sustained an injury to his hand during the incident. He was taken to hospital and has since been discharged.

The Met Police and Kent Police have been contacted for comment.

The incident comes just days after PC Matthew Blades and his colleague PC Tom Clough, were killed when a car driving the wrong way down the A66 in Middlesbrough crashed into their police car.

In another incident last month, five teenagers died after stealing a BMW and driving the wrong way down the M9 in County Kildare.

The vehicle crashed into a car carrying three sisters and a seven-year-old boy - leaving all passengers seriously injured.

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