This is the moment a disqualified driver brazenly smashed his pick-up truck into a brand new police car – seconds after officers joked: “I hope he doesn’t ram us”.
Chad Harrison, 27, reversed straight into the officer’s high-spec BMW X5 on April 18 this year causing £5,000 worth of damage.
Shocking footage taken from inside the 13-plate BMW, which only had 400 miles on the clock, shows Harrison ploughing his three-quarters of a tonne flat-bed truck into the 4×4 twice.
He then speeds off on the single-track lane near the A449 in Stourbridge, West Mids., hoping to leave the brand new £40,000 police car in his wake.
But Harrison’s attempts to disable the BMW, which was on its first emergency callout, failed and PCs Dal Nijjar and Gareth Phillips pursued him for almost 20 MILES.
After crashing into the gates of Hunts Mill Nature Reserve in Dudley, West Mids., Harrison tried to escape on foot through woodland.
But with help from the West Midlands Police helicopter, officers were easily able to track him down to where he was lying low in bushes and make the arrest
Harrison, from Kingswinford, West Mids., admitted dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, failing to stop for police and damaging eight other vehicles during the pursuit.
And last Tuesday, he was jailed for 19 months and handed a seven-year driving ban at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
A video released West Midlands Police after the case shows the shocking moment Harrison reversed his pick-up truck into the front of the stunned motorway officers car.
Seconds before the impact, audio from in-car cameras captured a discussion between the two PCs saying they hoped the disqualified driver wouldn’t shunt their new car.
One of the officers can be heard saying: “I hope he doesn’t ram us” before the pair start chuckling.
The one minute and 41 seconds long video then shows Harrison fleeing down the track before he eventually dumps his truck and is monitored by the force’s helicopter.
Speaking after the case, Acting Sergeant Robert Leaver, from the Central Motorways Police Group (CMPG) said: “Harrison has an appalling record of driving going back many years; on this occasion his reckless driving in a large commercial vehicle caused near carnage and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.
“He deliberately drove at a patrol car, injuring the officers, and then led police on a long pursuit during which he strayed onto the wrong side of carriageways and struck at least eight other vehicles.
“The truck was in a poor condition and several of the cars were damaged after being struck by one of the truck’s stabiliser booms which protruded out from its side.
“The public need protecting from people who drive in this manner and put other road users in danger.
“He’s rightly been jailed and should he be tempted to take to the roads at any stage over the next seven years he’s likely to find himself back behind bars.”
Police revealed Harrison caused £5,000 in damage to the brand new BMW X5 as well as thousands more to other vehicles he struck as he tried to escape.
