Police car rammed as chase brings terror to town centre

Drivers were forced to swerve out of the way as the man recklessly weaved his gold and green 4x4 Mitsubishi Shogun through the Sussex countryside for more than an hour on Monday evening after being confronted in Brighton.

All the time he was being tracked by the Sussex Police helicopter, flying just a few feet above the streets.

Officers had him cornered at the entrance to High Street car park in Worthing, next to the Guildborne Centre, but he reversed into the squad car, rammed it backwards into the road and then sped off again.

The drama began when police tried to arrest the man in Brighton at 4.55pm. He took off followed by four police cars and a helicopter in a high-speed chase that lasted 67 minutes.

He was finally caught in Hove at 6.02pm.

Katy Miller, 22, of Brighton Road, Worthing, saw the Shogun ram the police car outside the Guildbourne Centre shortly after 5.30pm.

She said: "I saw the Shogan screech around the corner and stop at the barrier to the car park. The police car stopped behind it and two officers jumped out and ran towards the Shogan. Then the driver just reversed to ram the police car all the way back into the road and sped off. I couldn't believe what was happening. My heart was pounding."

High Street was closed for around 90 minutes after the smash.

James Richardson, 23, from West Worthing, who works for NCP, was at the car park when it happened and saw the incident on CCTV.

He said: "The Shogan pulled up at the car park entrance followed by the police car. Two officers jumped out and the 4x4 rammed it all the way back. The police car driver's door crunched against a signpost and the man was gone. There was smashed glass all over the road, the engine was smoking and the car was a write off.

"One of the officers took a swing and smashed the man's back window. It is the sort of thing you see on the TV. My friend was driving from Shoreham and he pulled over because the 4x4 was being chased at high speed by three police cars."

Sussex Police said that after an incident in Brighton there was a pursuit which went out as far as Ditchling, then into Hove and Worthing before returning to the Hove area.

Frank Jansen, 40, also known as James Pettit, from Brighton, appeared at Brighton Court on Wednesday accused of conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs, dangerous driving, criminal damage, no insurance, failing to stop for police, and failing to stop after an accident.

Jansen was remanded in custody to appear at Lewes Crown Court on September 2.