Picture released of car seized after it was spotted driving erratically through Sunderland and Washington
and live on Freeview channel 276
Northumbria Police received a report of a vehicle driving erratically in the Saint Pauls Terrace area of Ryhope at 9.20am on Saturday morning (January 16).
Officers were deployed and the police helicopter scrambled to track down the vehicle which was abandoned in the Horsley Road area of Washington.
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Hide AdFour men – aged 36, 33, 31 and 30 – were arrested on suspicion of either aggravated vehicle taking or theft of a motor vehicle.
A fifth man suspected of being involved in the incident has not yet been located and Northumbria Police has confirmed inquires to find him remain ongoing.
The four men who were arrested have since been released under investigation.
Posting the picture of the car on social media, the Northumbria Police Road Safety Team said: “Thanks for the your help letting us know about a red Honda Civic driving dangerously in Ryhope, Penshaw and Washington.
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Hide Ad"Vehicle located, four arrested and vehicle seized. Dangerous driving will not be tolerated in our area, and offenders will be dealt with robustly.”
A spokesman for the force said: “We still believe one more individual to have been involved and we’re following various lines of enquiry to locate him.”
The National Police Air Service helicopter was spotted above Sunderland and Washington throughout Saturday morning as officers traced the vehicle.
The spokesman said previously: “At about 9.20am on Saturday we received a number of reports from the public about a vehicle that driving erratically in the Saint Pauls Terrace area of Sunderland.
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Hide Ad“Officers were deployed with the assistance of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) and found the vehicle abandoned in the Horsley Road area of Washington.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log 271 160121.”