A Durham Constabulary officer was injured and six boys have been arrested following a collision in Sunderland on Wednesday morning. The officer, who was taken to hospital for treatment, was conducting enquiries in the area following reports of a stolen vehicle.
Incident timeline
Just before 6.45am, Northumbria Police received a report of a suspected burglary from an address in the Burdon area of Sunderland. A vehicle was reported stolen from a property, which was then driven in the surrounding area and subsequently into Durham Constabulary’s force area.
Later, just after 8.30am, while Durham Constabulary officers were conducting enquiries to locate the vehicle and any suspects, the vehicle was spotted parked in the Cooperative Terrace area of Sunderland.
Collision and arrests
As an officer approached on foot and attempted to secure the suspected stolen vehicle and its occupants, the vehicle was driven away. It then collided with an unconnected stationary vehicle and injured the officer. He was taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
A large emergency response attended the scene at Chester Road and Cooperative Terrace, with officers from both police forces, including a police dogs support unit vehicle and forensic teams, along with other blue light response colleagues.
Six boys, aged between 13 and 17, have been arrested in connection with the report and are currently in police custody. Enquiries are ongoing to locate anyone else believed to have been involved. The road remains closed to traffic, and officers are expected to remain on scene for a number of hours.
Police statements
Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney, of Northumbria Police, said: "Firstly, we’d like to extend our thoughts to the officer from our neighbouring police force who has been injured in this incident. Police officers attend work with the sole intention to help people – not to be hurt in the line of duty. We wish this officer a speedy recovery and we’d like to thank him and his colleagues for their assistance with the response to the initial report."
Det Ch Insp Fenney added: "Our investigation remains at an early stage, however we already have got six suspects in custody. We’re aware this incident will have caused concern and disruption in the local community. As this is a live investigation, we ask the public not to speculate on the circumstances or comment on social media. Officers will remain in the area, and we would ask anyone with further concerns, or information to report, including CCTV, dashcam, or mobile phone footage, to get in touch with us."
Assistant Chief Constable Richie Allen, from Durham Constabulary, said: "Our thoughts are with the officer who sustained injuries during the incident. Thankfully, he has since been discharged from hospital and we wish him a speedy recovery. We are working closely with our neighbours at Northumbria Police as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. We would encourage anyone with any information that could assist their enquiries to get in touch with them as soon as possible."
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We were called to a person injured on Co-operative Terrace in Sunderland at 8.40am on 12 August. We dispatched an ambulance crew who took one patient to hospital."
Anyone with information should send Northumbria Police a direct message on social media or use the live chat and report forms on the Force’s website. For those unable to make contact via those ways, call 101, quoting reference number 26000422478.
