Essex Police praise actions of taxi driver who helped officers arrest car thief suspect
Essex Police have praised the actions of a taxi driver who helped officers arrest a man quickly after reports of a car being stolen from a home in Colchester.
Officers were made aware of the theft of a Blue Peugeot 208 from Hyena Drive, Stanway, at midday on 6 January.
Further inquiries found the vehicle had been taken between 9pm and 10pm the night before.
Thanks to information provided by an off-duty police officer, officers were able to locate the vehicle in Claudius Road. When they came head-to-head with the vehicle, officers got out of the car to approach the Peugeot which then reversed away and crashed into a bollard.
The Peugeot was then driven at the police car, causing extensive damage.
The Peugeot then travelled along Mersea Road and turned into Bourne Road, where it again struck a bollard and came to a stop.
Meanwhile, officers from the scene in Claudius Road were helped by a passing taxi driver, who then took them to Bourne Road, where they were able to quickly locate a man who had left the vehicle and attempted to flee the area.
A man has been arrested and is being questioned on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, drink and/or drug driving, driving whilst disqualified, dangerous driving, failing to stop, making off without payment and making threats to kill.
Chief Inspector Colin Cox, Colchester District Commander, said: “Thanks to some really quick work, we were able to apprehend a man who we believe to be responsible for the theft of a car in Colchester.
“Not only is the theft of car extremely impactive on victims, in this case the car was being driven dangerously and thanks to the quick actions of officers, no one on the road was seriously injured.
“I would also like to extend my thanks to the passing taxi driver whose actions meant the officers could get to where the car had been crashed extremely quickly and make the arrest.”
