Dramatic video shows police chasing stolen taxi through Wolverhampton city centre

West Midlands Police have released the video, which shows a stolen Toyota Prius taxi being pursued along the A449 into Wolverhampton by traffic officers.

The video shows the taxi, which was stolen at knife point in a car-jacking on the evening of April 3, being pursued by two police cars into the city centre, then turning up the A4150 city roundabout from the Penn Road Island.

As the chase continues up the Birmingham Road, the Prius is seen on a police helicopter's infra-red camera attempting to turn down a by-pass between Birmingham Road and A459 Dudley Road, only to be hit by one of the pursuing cars.

The car then rolls down and comes to a stop at the entrance of the bypass, before officers surrounded the car and arrested the two occupants, two 16-year-old boys, the second after a foot chase as he tried to run away.

Both youths were subsequently sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for a number of offences.

A spokesman for Traffic West Midlands said: "This Toyota Prius taxi was stolen in a knife point car-jacking shortly before we saw it in Wolverhampton.

"The driver made off on seeing us & was pursued before both 16 yr old occupants were arrested.

"Both have been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for various offences."