A car mounted a kerb at a drive-thru during a dangerous attempt to speed away from police.
Officers were called to a McDonald’s in Newark after receiving reports someone was inhaling balloons in a car outside.
Police arrived at the Lincoln Road site minutes later where they saw a vehicle queuing at the drive thru that matched the description.
They then pulled in front of the vehicle, around 8.55pm on Wednesday 28 February, and told the suspect to stay where they were.
Despite several other cars being in the close vicinity, the driver ignored this order and tried to reverse out – almost hitting the building in the process.
The suspect then overtook the police car, mounted a kerb, drove along the pavement, and through a gap between the hedge and the fence to make their escape.
They were then seen to speed away along Lincoln Road and towards Newark town centre.
Despite it initially disappearing from view, response officers tracked down the vehicle less than 10 minutes later, to outside an address in Apple Tree Close, Newark.
A suspect was then detained nearby, at which point officers found cans of nitrous oxide inside the car and established it had been used without the owner’s permission.
Police subsequently arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of dangerous driving, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, and driving while unfit through drugs.
The suspect was also arrested for failing to stop and driving while disqualified.
Detective Sergeant Morgan Fitzpatrick, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The driver’s decision making and actions during this incident were incredibly dangerous and put other people nearby at genuine risk of harm.
“Despite there being several cars around them at a busy drive-thru, they ignored orders to stay where they were and nearly backed up into the side of the building.
“The car then mounted a kerb and was driven recklessly along the pavement and out of a pedestrian entrance, which fortunately didn’t have anyone walking through it at the time.
“Had they been, there is a strong chance someone could’ve been seriously hurt, especially when you consider the reports that people inside the vehicle had been taking drugs shortly before.
“There is absolutely no place for this type of dangerous driving in our communities, so we were pleased to be able to arrest a suspect in connection with this offence.”
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