Bumper lands on roof as police chase ends with serious crash
Two people have been left seriously injured after a car being chased by police smashed into a van and a shop.
Bricks were thrown from the Audi that police were chasing before it ploughed into a van and a nail shop with such force that part of a bumper and light ended up on a nearby roof.
The driver of the van and a teenage passenger from the Audi are both seriously injured in hospital after the crash happened this morning.
A 15-year-old boy alleged to have been driving the stolen Audi was also injured and was caught after a footchase. Another youth is said to have fled from the scene.
West Midlands Police said bricks were thrown from the car when police spotted it after reports of an Audi being stolen in the Stirchley area of Birmingham early this morning.
The chase ended at around 5.30am when the Audi failed to give way at the junction of Pershore Road and Dogpool Lane and ploughed into the van and a nail shop, West Midlands Police said.
The front ends of both the Audi and the Citroen Dispatch van were destroyed and the door, sign and gate of the nail bar were also wrecked.
Specialist technical rescue firefighters were called to make the scene safe and used cutters to remove the shop's roller door, while debris was left all over the nearby road and part of one car could be seen resting next to a chimney on a roof.
A police spokesman said: "The driver of the van, aged 48, suffered head and neck injuries and is currently in a serious condition in hospital.
"The 15-year-old driver of the Audi was arrested after a short footchase. He has been treated in hospital for minor injuries and now remains in police custody for questioning.
"A 17-year-old passenger from the Audi suffered spinal injuries and is being treated in hospital where his condition is also described as serious.
"A third youth fled the scene and officers are currently pursuing a number of lines of enquiry as investigations continue.
"Pershore Road is currently closed between Selly Park Road and Cartland Road until later this afternoon."
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman added: “There were two male teenagers in the car. The first was helped out of the vehicle by bystanders. He was treated at the scene before being taken on blue lights to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
“The other teenager was initially able to get out of the vehicle himself. He was also assessed and treated at the scene before being taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
“The van driver, a middle-aged man, was helped from the wreckage of his vehicle and was treated for significant injuries before also being taken on blue lights to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.”
Three ambulances, two paramedic officers and the MERIT trauma doctor and critical care paramedic were sent to the scene.
An off-duty member of ambulance staff en-route for a day shift came across the incident and also helped at the scene.
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said 15 firefighters were sent to the scene in three fire engines.
The firefighters had to extricate one person from each vehicle.
He added: "We requested for a structural engineer to attend the scene because of the damage to the building, our own technical rescue unit was called in to advise."
Anyone with information is urged to contact police online by calling 101, or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously.
