Car chase horror: Driver fleeing police hits and kills pedestrian in his 20s – before ‘oblivious officers arresting him are told about the body that was sent flying into nearby front garden’
- Driver hit pedestrian and Peugeot 307 overturned in Wakefield, West Yorkshire
- Collision launched pedestrian in his 20s into nearby garden and he died instantly
- A man, 22 was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving yesterday afternoon
- Woman at the scene revealed the victim had only popped out to go shopping
A driver hit and killed a pedestrian in his 20s while fleeing police before officers arresting him were told that he had sent a body flying into a front garden.
The motorist crashed into the pedestrian and his Peugeot 307 overturned after he was chased by police through Wakefield in West Yorkshire yesterday afternoon.
The collision at about 5.30pm threw the pedestrian, who is thought to have been going out to the shops, into a nearby garden where he died instantly.
A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, and was allegedly unaware that he had hit the victim until after he had got out of the car.
Police officers investigate the crash yesterday afternoon in Wakefield, West Yorkshire
It is also believed that the arrested man, who only suffered minor injuries, had been banned from driving before the incident.
Police initially signalled for the Peugeot to stop in East Ardsley near the M1 at 5.18pm yesterday, but it drove off and was pursued by officers for about four miles.
The crash then happened at about 5.30pm in the Lofthouse Gate area of Wakefield, with the victim being hit at such a pace that he was launched into a garden.
However, neither the driver nor the police realised he had been struck down until a neighbour revealed that there was a dead body in her garden.
The Peugeot 307 overturned in the crash which saw the victim thrown into a nearby garden
A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after the incident
The car had flipped over with the roof of the vehicle reduced to scraps. Locals who witnessed the incident estimated the car was going at 80mph before the crash.
One woman, who is understood to be the victim’s mother, arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and said that the man had just nipped out to do some shopping.
An air ambulance was sent to the scene but it was not required. The incident is currently being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Police in West Yorkshire have been involved in a purge to reduce the amount of anti-social driving that has affected many local communities since lockdown began.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call 101, quoting log 1253 of June 9