Teen driver rammed car and led police on high speed M23 chase
Arthur Greenslade has been sentenced (Image: Sussex Police)
A teenage driver who rammed a police car and led officers on a high speed chase has been sentenced.
Arthur Greenslade was charged with multiple offences across Sussex, which have included incidents of dangerous driving, possession of a bladed article and aggravated vehicle taking.
The 18-year-old appeared before Lewes Crown Court on August 11 where he was sentenced to ten months of detention in a young offenders’ institution.
The court was told how Greenslade, of no fixed address, had rammed a police car in Beachcroft Place, Lancing, on October 18 last year.
A police community support officer (PCSO) went to the scene and footage shows Greenslade driving a yellow Peugeot and deliberately reversing it into the police car before leaving the area.
The PCSO was not harmed but Greenslade was later spotted driving on the A264 towards Horsham, where he failed to stop for police.
Footage then shows him driving into oncoming traffic at excess speed, as well as through red lights and the wrong way around a roundabout.
Specialist officers from Sussex Police’s roads policing unit (RPU), tactical firearms unit (TFU) and dogs unit worked together to bring the vehicle safely to a stop at about 2am on October 19 last year on the A259 Brighton[1] Road in Shoreham.
Chief Inspector Sarah Leadbeatter, Adur and Worthing’s district commander, said: “This incident shows some of the challenges faced by our officers and PCSOs on a daily basis.
“The suspect vehicle was identified, and officers in the area from different units demonstrated great teamwork.
"They acted swiftly to bring the suspect vehicle safely to a stop and prevent it from posing a risk of harm to other road users. The officers then detained those inside the vehicle.”
Greenslade was stopped in Adastra Park in Hassocks after decamping from a vehicle on February 11 this year. When stopped he was found in possession of a knife.
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Then on May 9 this year, the Co-op reported a shop theft at a store in Old London Road, Brighton.
Officers from the RPU used this tip off to identify a suspect vehicle a short while later in Lewes Road, Brighton.
The vehicle drove away from officers at high speed and through a red light.
Later, officers from the TFU joined RPU colleagues on the M23, where the vehicle continued to drive erratically, swerving across lanes of busy traffic.
The National[2] Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter was called provide help, before Greenslade drove into a slip road near Kings Cross Lane, Reigate, and fled from the car into surrounding fields.
Four occupants including Greenslade were pursued across fields and arrested.
Superintendent Rachel Glenton, head of roads policing for Surrey and Sussex Police, said: “Our RPU officers identified a vehicle that had been involved in an offence 30 minutes earlier.
“Officers from the RPU and from our Tactical Firearms Units at both Lewes and Gatwick were able to detain the four suspects.
“Once again, our officers showed great teamwork and professionalism to safely stop the vehicle before any harm was caused to the occupants or to other road users.”