Passenger injured in fall from car during dramatic police chase
A man was injured when he fell out of a car shortly before it crashed during a police chase in the Black Country.
The 28-year-old passenger suffered head injuries when he fell from a silver Mini Cooper being chased by a patrol car in Tipton in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The man fell from the car - which failed to stop for officers who suspected the Mini had been stolen - shortly before it crashed near Tipton Leisure Centre on Alexandra Road at around 4am.
The driver fled the scene of the smash while police treated the injured passenger.
He was taken to hospital with a head injury where he remains in a stable condition. Nobody else was injured in the incident.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "The specialist traffic officers in a marked police car suspected the silver Mini Cooper was a stolen vehicle.
"The passenger fell from the Mini shortly before it collided with street furniture and came to a stop and while officers immediately attended to him, the driver fled the scene."
The road was closed in both directions throughout Sunday morning to allow the vehicle to be recovered and a collision investigation to take place.
Tipton Leisure Centre car park was closed while the road was sealed off but the centre was open as normal.
The police spokesman added: "The force’s Professional Standards Department has been informed as well as the IPCC, as is normal procedure in a collision where a police vehicle is involved.
"Anyone who witnessed the collision or has any information on the incident is asked to call the police on 101 quoting log 455 28/05/17."
