Police Service Of Northern Ireland officer struck by stolen car in Downpatrick
The Police Service Of Northern Ireland said an officer was seriously injured in Downpatrick on Sunday morning after being struck by a stolen police car. The incident began at about 04:45 BST when a vehicle failed to stop in the Fountain Street area of the town.
ACC Melanie Jones said the officer was taken to hospital by ambulance with injuries believed to be “serious, but thankfully not life-threatening at this time”. Police later arrested a 27-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder.
Fountain Street and Ballymote Walk
Police found the vehicle later in the Ballymote Walk area, where a man ran off and officers chased him on foot towards Colmcille Road. Jones said: “As officers returned to their police car, someone was in the driver's seat - driving erratically and directly towards an officer,” before the officer fired one round and was hit by the stolen police car.
The car was later abandoned after the suspect fled the scene. Police also said urgent medical treatment was provided at the scene by colleagues and members of the local community, before the officer was taken to hospital by ambulance.
ACC Melanie Jones
Jones said: “Urgent medical treatment was provided at the scene by police colleagues, who were also supported by members of the local community,” and added that the officer’s injuries were “serious, but thankfully not life-threatening at this time”.
She also said: “As is standard procedure when a police firearm is drawn, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has been informed - and their enquiries are ongoing,” after the officer’s weapon and ammunition, along with the stolen police car, were taken away for forensic examination.
Police Ombudsman Inquiry
The arrest on suspicion of attempted murder and the forensic work now sit alongside the Ombudsman’s ongoing enquiries. For the officer, the immediate issue is treatment and recovery; for investigators, the focus is the stolen police car, the firearm and the sequence that put the vehicle in motion toward the officer.
