A police pursuit of a suspected stolen car ended in a multi-vehicle pile-up in east London early on Saturday morning, leaving nine people injured — five of them seriously — and resulting in five arrests.
According to the Metropolitan Police, officers on patrol attempted to stop a vehicle at around 12:30am on Saturday 16 May, after having reason to believe it was stolen. The car failed to stop, and a short pursuit followed.
The chase came to an end when the car collided with another vehicle at the junction of Barley Lane and High Road in Ilford, Redbridge. A moped rider was also caught up in the smash. London Ambulance Service confirmed it was called just after 12:30am and sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an incident response officer, a joint response unit and London’s Air Ambulance.
Ten people were treated at the roadside in total. Nine were taken to hospital, while one person declined further medical assistance. Five of those taken to hospital — aged between 14 and 46 — are reported to remain there with serious injuries. The injured included the driver and four passengers of the suspected stolen vehicle, the driver and two passengers of the second car, and the moped rider.
The driver of the pursued vehicle, a woman in her 20s, was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, theft and failing to stop. She has since been bailed but remains in hospital. The four passengers from the same car — a woman in her 40s, a 14-year-old girl and two men in their 20s — have also been arrested on suspicion of being in a stolen vehicle. They have also since been bailed.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Officers were on patrol at around 00:30hrs on Saturday, 16 May when they attempted to stop a vehicle after having reason to believe it was stolen. The car failed to stop, and a short pursuit ensued. The vehicle was subsequently involved in a collision with another car on Barley Lane junction with High Road, Redbridge.”
The Met has confirmed that the incident has been referred to its Directorate of Professional Standards, as is standard procedure following any police pursuit that ends in a collision. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has also been informed.
For taxi and private hire drivers, junctions like Barley Lane and High Road are familiar territory — busy with night-time pickups, takeaway runs and airport shuttles. Pursuits ending in serious crashes in residential east London are a reminder of how quickly things can turn nasty on what should be a quiet shift, and why dashcam footage is increasingly worth its weight in gold for drivers who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Anyone with information or dashcam footage is being asked to contact the Met Police.
Thanks for visiting DM News! If you’ve got a question, a story tip, or anything you’d like to share, head over to DriverMatty.com — I love to hear from you. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out my other websites and social media channels.
Sources:
- Sky News — Multiple vehicle collision injures at least nine in east London
- BBC News — Woman arrested and five injured after police pursuit
- LBC — Nine injured including five seriously hurt after car crash following police pursuit
- GB News — Ilford car chase: Woman arrested and nine more in hospital
- Ilford Recorder — Five people seriously injured after ‘police chase’ ends in crash
