Police have arrested two men following an early-morning pursuit in west Belfast.
Officers were forced to close part of the M1 overnight until the vehicle was brought to a safe stop.
At around 2.30am on Monday, November 18, police noticed a white Volkswagen Golf travelling on the Westlink. Officers signalled for the vehicle to stop but it continued to travel at speeds of up to 120mph. Police attempted to slow the vehicle down by the use of a stinger device being deployed. The driver continued towards Blacks Road and ended up colliding with the police vehicle on Stockmans Lane.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “Extensive damage was caused to the police vehicle. Thankfully, however, minor injuries were reported by two officers. “I would stress that the actions of the driver responsible for the pursuit and subsequent collision with our officers is totally unacceptable. “Our officers were working to keep people safe when this reckless act occurred and attacks like these should be wholly condemned. This pursuit took place on one of Northern Ireland’s busiest road networks.
“Due to the seriousness of what happened, officers were forced to close part of the M1 for a time until the vehicle was brought to a safe stop.”
Two men, aged 33 and 24, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of several driving offences, including dangerous driving and driving with no licence. They were both transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries not believed to be life-threatening. The 24-year-old man has since been released on police bail as enquiries continue and the 33-year-old man remains in custody.
“Thankfully we are not dealing with more serious injuries today,” they added.
“Repairs will need to be carried out to our response vehicle before it can be used again. “Our investigation is underway and we’re appealing to anyone who saw the Golf or captured dash-cam footage of its movements to get in touch with us by calling 101.”
