A truly incredible story has come out of the UK after a woman had to give a police officer a lift, with the officer chasing a criminal. The incident took place in Wales, and footage was captured by the officer’s body cam.
The BBC broke the story, with the incident taking place in Abercwmboi, Rhondda Cynon Taf. According to the reports, the officer had been pursuing 25-year-old Jacob Roberts, who had reverse-rammed a police car twice before crashing into parked cars.
Roberts then hit a building while trying to escape, and it led to part of the pursuit taking place on foot. However, PC Kerswell probably wasn’t expecting to have to use a car driven by a member of the public to try and catch up with the criminal. Thankfully, this lift helped the police capture the man on the run.
It isn’t often that you see a member of the public giving a police officer a lift during a chase for a criminal. In fact, we wonder if anyone reading this has seen such an incident before. But as the BBC report shows, the public are more than happy to help out.
How the Nissan Micra Driver Aided in the Police Chase
PC Kerswell had been pursuing Roberts, 25, after he had reverse-rammed a police car twice, crashed into parked cars, and then into a building. He sped away from officers after they had smelled cannabis coming from his van. Roberts was driving in an erratic manner, failed to stop at multiple junctions, and put pedestrians at risk while pounding pavements/sidewalks.
Bodycam footage showed Roberts drive into a dead-end down a street in Abercwmboi, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and he ditched the car to try to escape from officers on foot. It then showed PC Kerswell run up to a red Nissan Micra and say, “I need a lift.” The driver of the Nissan replied instantly, and she said, “Get in,” to the police officer.
The car speeds off, and the Micra driver gives chase and asks the officer, “Where to?” as they head down the road. Towards the end of the video, they catch up to Roberts, and Kerswell can jump out and taser him before arresting Roberts. It’s quite possible that he could have got away from the police, had the Micra driver not been there or had been unable to help the officer out.
Thankfully, the catching of Roberts meant he could be charged.
Roberts Was Sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court
The BBC reported that Roberts was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on September 16th. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance, failure to stop after a road accident, criminal damage to property, and possession of controlled Class B drugs. Incredibly, he had already been banned from driving when he had committed those offenses, but he had just shown a total disregard for other road users as well as pedestrians.
“Roberts was already banned from driving when he committed these offenses – he showed complete disregard for all other road users, including pedestrians,” said PC Kerswell. “I hope it acts as a deterrent for others who think of driving dangerously,” added Kerswell. “It’s lucky that no one was seriously injured during this pursuit. We hope this sentence will give Roberts time to reflect on his actions.”
Roberts was jailed for 1 year and 2 months for multiple driving offenses.