BMW carrying four people smashes through railings and plunges into a CANAL after being chased by police when the driver failed to stop
- Three men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of theft of a vehicle
- They all suffered non life-threatening injuries after falling into the waterway
- The rescue operation was described as ‘long and tricky’ and went until 2am
- Their car dropped 12ft into the canal and the rescue operation went on for hours
Four people were rushed to hospital after their car smashed through railings and plunged 12ft into a canal following a police chase.
Officers tried to block the BMW but it was in collision with a fence along Vaughan Way in Leicester on Friday evening and ended up in the Grand Union Canal, which is two foot deep.
A woman is still being treated in Leicester Royal Infirmary but she is not believed to have been seriously injured.
Police confirmed three men, aged 28, 24 and 23, and a 23-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of failing to stop and theft of a motor vehicle.
Fire crews joined forces with recovery teams to carry out the two-hour recovery operation to remove the BMW from the canal, which went into the early hours of the morning.
An eyewitness told Leicestershire Live said: ‘There were six fire engines, at least 15 police cars and four ambulances at the scene.
‘They pulled four people, three men and a woman, in their early 20s out and they were taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary.
‘The fire service rescued them from the canal. I saw one of the people from the car being taken into an ambulance.
‘The operation to recover the vehicle from the water was long and tricky and went on until about 2am.’
Canal plunge: Four people were inside the BMW when it plunged 12ft into the Grand Union Canal
Police chase: Officers say the driver refused to stop along the stretch of Vaughan Way in Leicester leading to the collision
No one was seriously hurt in the collision despite the number of emergency crews on scene
Canal drama: The car dropped into the two foot canal below sparking a rescue operation into the night
Vehicle recovery: It took until 2am on Saturday morning to finally bring the damaged BMW onto dry land. Four people have been arrested on suspicion of theft
Meanwhile, a woman who near Tudor Road in Leicester said she heard emergency crews head to the scene and said: ‘I heard the police helicopter flying overhead at about quarter past nine so I knew something was going on.’
A couple, who live nearby, revealed they heard both a helicopter and ‘a lot of sirens’ at around 10pm.
One said: ‘The helicopter had its searchlight on and I joked to my wife that it was Batman.
‘We hear it and sirens so frequently that we hardly taken any notice any more, but it disturbed the dogs.’
Leicestershire Police said: ‘Officers attempted to stop a car in Vaughan Way, Leicester, around 9.15pm yesterday (March 1) following concerns about the manner in which the vehicle was being driven.
‘The car later collided with fencing and entered the Grand Union Canal.
‘Four people were taken to hospital, where one currently remains. Her injuries are not believed to be life threatening or life changing.
‘Three men, aged 28, 24 and 23, and a 23-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of failing to stop and theft of a motor vehicle.’
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