Watch as the rider of this motorcycle leads police on a pursuit around busy streets and on to a public footpath – all while being tracked by the police helicopter.
Officers from our Roads Policing Unit had spotted the vehicle being ridden at high speeds around Swansea on a Saturday afternoon in August, and its rear registration plate had also been taped over to obscure it.
When the rider failed to stop for police, a stinger device was deployed to pierce its tyres, which hampered the vehicle’s progress. But in a desperate bid to evade police, the vehicle was then ridden off road, along pavements and through a busy car park – packed with vehicles, with a Swansea City match being played just a few hundred metres away – before ending on a cycle path running alongside the river Tawe.
But the police helicopter’s eye in the sky was able to track the vehicle, guiding officers to the motorcycle and the rider, who was subsequently arrested.
The 21-year-old rider later pleaded guilty to offences including dangerous driving and possession of cannabis. He was given a suspended prison sentence, a fine, and was disqualified from driving for two years.
*NPAS footage © of West Yorkshire Combined Authority