A runaway driver led police on a chase after he failed to stop for officers on a routine patrol in Radford. Police Constable Dan Machin and Sergeant Ian Coleman were on patrol in the Radford area of Nottingham when they were made aware of a Vauxhall Meriva which had failed to stop for colleagues.
The driver – 29-year-old Joseph Carter – had taken the car without the owner’s consent. He sped away and failed to stop. PC Machin and Sgt Coleman followed the car and activated their lights and sirens but Carter refused to stop. As the officers started to close the net on him, Carter rammed into their car, causing extensive damage to its front, as he tried to get away.
The chase was back on – this time on foot – after he made a run for it but he was no match for fleet-footed officers who quickly had him in handcuffs. Following the incident Carter, formerly of Radford Road, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance and otherwise than in accordance with a licence, two counts of resisting a police constable in the execution of their duty and breach of a restraining order.
He was jailed for 16 months and handed a 20-month driving ban when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on 13 July 2021. Recalling the incident, PC Machin said: “Carter posed a real danger to the public and he was clearly desperate to evade capture by any means but thanks to some great police teamwork, especially by our response colleagues attempting stinger tactics and assisting in detaining him, he was quickly stopped in his tracks.
"We aim to avoid damage to police vehicles and property wherever possible. However, sometimes they must be put in harm’s way in order to protect the wider public which in this case was achieved by taking a clearly dangerous individual off the streets of Nottingham, placing him before the courts and eventually into the prison system.”
It's one of the cases featured in the latest episode of Police Interceptors on Channel 5 at 8pm on Wednesday, April 6.
