Man, 20, charged over police pursuit crash that injured seven officers on A1
Pictures showed a BMW at the scene and debris strewn across the road. One of the five police cars involved had its roof torn off.
Thursday 17 April 2025 16:58, UK
A 20-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving after seven police officers were injured in a car chase on Tyneside.
The crash on the northbound A1 on 9 April involved five police cars and led to the road's closure.
Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, of Sylvia Terrace in Durham, will appear at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
He has also been charged with two counts of failing to stop, two counts of not having insurance, and two counts of driving without a licence.
Northumbria Police said a women in her 20s would face no further action in relation to her arrest on suspicion of aiding and abetting dangerous driving.
However, she was bailed over suspected drug possession offences.
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The crash near the Derwent Haugh Road junction, on the borders of Gateshead and Newcastle, happened in the early hours of the morning.
The seven police officers have all now been discharged from hospital.
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Pictures showed a BMW at the scene and debris strewn across the road. One of the police cars had its roof torn off.
A spokesman said at the time the two occupants of the BMW had escaped uninjured.
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The incident happened after police tried to stop the car in the Whickham area of Gateshead because of concerns over how it was being driven.
It drove off and was later seen in the Swalwell area, with specialist officers from the roads unit beginning the pursuit at around 2.25am.