TWO people were arrested after allegedly abandoning a stolen car – only to be caught trying to flee in a taxi.
A man and a woman were arrested for failing to stop for police, dangerous driving and driving whilst unfit through drink and/or drugs. The man was released with no further action while the female was released under investigation.
In the early hours of Friday, officers received a report from Durham Constabulary that a suspected stolen car had entered the region.
Traffic officers from Durham were joined by response officers from Northumbria Police as the car travelled at high speeds through Ryton, Greenside and into Prudhoe.
In Prudhoe, police said the Peugeot 108 lost control and crashed before the two occupants left the car and fled on foot.
They were seen heading into Cottier Grange housing estate, on the site of the old Prudhoe Hospital, where response officers, traffic police and the dog section were deployed to locate them.
But, as searches continued through nearby woodland and fields, a Northumbria Police motor patrols officer spotted a taxi leaving the estate. They followed the taxi, signalled for it to stop, found the two suspects hiding in the back seat and placed them under arrest.
A senior officer at Northumbria Police has praised the cross-border teamwork with colleagues in Durham and the tenacity of the officers carrying out the search.
Chief inspector Ian Cutty said: “This was a fantastic piece of team work between two neighbouring forces to bring a dangerous pursuit to an end.
“This vehicle had travelled at speed across Durham, Gateshead and Northumberland in the early hours and put other road users at risk. But we were determined not to let them escape and when they abandoned the vehicle, we flooded the area with officers and police dogs.”
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