Police arrest alleged driver in 100mph stolen Amazon van pursuit

A suspected thief was arrested after leading traffic police on a 100mph chase in a stolen Amazon delivery van carrying £1,000 worth of parcels.

The 25-year-old was held after officers pursued the van from Wigan, in Greater Manchester, through Bolton and into Chorley in Lancashire, where the van crashed into pedestrian barriers and a vehicle stopped at traffic lights.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said over the course of 40 minutes, the van had been driven three times over the speed limit, reaching around 100mph, injured a cyclist and caused significant damage to multiple pieces of street furniture.

No serious injuries were reported. The arrested man has been bailed pending further inquiries.

GMP received a 999 call at around 18:23 BST on Wednesday to report the van had been stolen.

Officers located the vehicle within 15 minutes and began to follow it. They tried to stop it without a pursuit, but the driver sped away.

The suspect was arrested at the scene of the crash on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, failure to stop, driving under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of Class A and C drugs.

PC Nat Mannyng, from the transport unit at GMP, said: "This was an extremely dangerous incident which saw a vehicle reaching speeds of 100mph through residential streets where families, pedestrians and other road users were going about their daily lives.

"The driver showed a complete disregard for public safety and innocent members of the public were harmed as a result of his actions.

"Thankfully, there were only minor physical injuries but his behaviour could have resulted in a serious collision."

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