Near Miss For Man Sitting In Parked Car Hit During Epic Police Chase
High speed pursuit had started in Enfield and came through residential Chiswick streets
Car hit during chase outside Swan pub
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A local businessman had a narrow escape when his car was hit at speed by a car being chased across London by police, while he was parked in a quiet Chiswick street,
The incident happened on Tuesday evening (7 January) a few seconds after he got into his car, parked outside the Swan pub near Acton Lane at around 5.30 pm.
"I left the office and walked to my car which was parked on the street outside the pub. I was sitting in the driver's seat, getting ready to drive home when I became aware of a flashing police light, then I heard a loud bang and realised someone had hit my car. If it had happened a few seconds earlier when I was getting into the car I could have been killed," he told chiswickw4.com
It transpired that police were involved in a high speed pursuit of a car which had started in Enfield, nearly twenty miles away. Originally the driver had failed to stop for police and the chase was taken up by the Metropolitan Police when he drove into London. It was the car being chased which hit his car on the driver's side.
The chase eventually ended in Hanger Lane where the driver apparently jumped out of the car and was pursued on foot. He was caught at 6.49pm and detained with a taser being discharged during the arrest. He is currently in police custody.
However, the man whose car was hit and badly damaged in Chiswick was left waiting over four hours for police to come and take a statement.
A number of customers from The Swan public house who heard the noise of the collision came to his aid and he reported the incident by phone. However he was then left waiting around for four hours until a squad car came and he gave a statement.
He eventually got home to his family feeling quite shaken by the incident. His car was undriveable and was towed away.
The following day he went to Acton Police Station (as the police station in Chiswick is closed) to try to get some information but was unable to get anything concrete.
He has had to pay for a hired car out of his own pocket and is unclear about whose responsibility it is to pay for the damage inflicted on his own vehicle. His insurance company is also seeking information from police on the matter.
On Thursday, following a lengthy period on the phone trying to get information, two police officers came to his office to speak to him.
He said: "I was very lucky I wasn't injured, but I feel let down by the police response to my situation. It's taken me hours on the phone and I was just getting passed around. There should be better care taken of victims in these situations."
Police said a man remains in custody following the incident.
January 12, 2020
