A man was arrested after a dramatic police chase 17 miles through Bristol and Northeast Somerset at night, injuring seven people.
The harassment began when a public official said a woman had been dragged into a Ford car against her will on Anchor Road, near the city center, just before midnight last night.
This sparked a police chase on the Ford driver, which saw a total of seven people, including the driver injured in three separate incidents in Bristol, left the M32 closed until Sunday morning and now automatically triggers an investigation into police behavior.
See also: The M32 in Bristol is still closed after a night crash
Last night, for almost eight hours in the early hours of Sunday (May 1) between junction 2 for Eastville and junction 1 for Filton after reports of a major accident.
Officials have now revealed that the crash was part of a police chase – estimated at about 17 miles – in the pursuit of a man in his mid-20s, following reports of concerns about the woman’s well-being on Saturday (April 30th). Police said a member of the public had witnessed an incident in which a woman appeared to have been pulled into a silver Ford car against her will on Anchor Road near the city center just before 12am.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset said in a statement: “Shortly before midnight, a member of the public contacted police after witnessing an incident in which a woman appeared to be in a silver Ford car against her will on Anchor Road. “
Only a few hundred meters away the driver was involved in the first accident. Avon and Somerset police said: “During the police chase, Ford was involved in a collision with two pedestrians at St Augustine’s Parade who need medical attention for minor injuries.
Then, a few minutes later, the chase continued through the city center and along the M32, and at the intersection of junction 2 for Eastville and junction 1 for the ring road and Filton, another collision occurred. Avon and Somerset police said: “An additional collision occurred on the north lane of the M32 between the police car conducting the pursuit and the third-party vehicle.
In the crash, police said three members of the public were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries – the passengers in the third car, bringing the total number of injured at the time to five.
The chase then continued around the A4174 ring road and ended at around 12.20 in the morning in Keynesham. Police said: “He was stopped by Wellsway, Keynsham officials at around 12.20 today (Sunday, May 1).
“One of the passengers in the Ford, a man in his 20s, left the scene and was found by nearby officers. He was arrested for a number of crimes, including dangerous driving and non-stop for police,” a police spokesman said.
Officials confirmed that the man had been taken to hospital for examination and that his condition was not considered life-threatening. A passenger was also taken to hospital for treatment for minor injuries and appropriate precautions were put in place for her well-being, bringing the total number of injured in the chase to seven, including the driver.
“This incident was referred to the Independent Police Conduct Service (IOPC) due to police involvement before the clashes,” police confirmed.
The police investigation into this investigation is ongoing and officers have called all witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to call 101 5222102562.
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