On Friday 25 February 2022, at around 10pm, patrols in the town centre received a report that a man had been drinking and was intending to drive home.
The officers went to a nearby car park to investigate the circumstances of the report and attempted to stop a man from leaving the area by car. One of the officers stood in front of the vehicle and it is reported that the motorist continued to drive in their direction, which meant the officer was forced to jump out of the way. The car was then driven away despite the motorist being signalled to stop.
Enquiries with CCTV operatives led the officers to a second location where the vehicle had collided with a road sign and come to a stop. The driver reportedly ran from the car on foot but was detained by police in Upper Queens Road.
The man, aged 25 from the Ashford area, was arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm, drink driving, dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision. He has since been released under investigation whilst enquiries continue.
