Man charged after officer struck by stolen police car

A man has been charged with dangerous driving following an incident in which a police officer fired his gun and was also seriously injured when he was hit by a stolen police car in Downpatrick, County Down.

The man, 27, has also been charged with driving while disqualified and using a vehicle without insurance and will appear before Downpatrick Magistrates' Court on Monday.

He was initially also arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, but has since been released unconditionally on that count.

However, police say another man, aged 36, has now been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and aggravated vehicle taking causing injury.

And a 27-year-old woman is also in custody after being arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and failing to stop for police.

What happened in the Downpatrick incident?

The incident began at about 04:45 BST on Sunday after a vehicle failed to stop for a police in the Fountain Street area of Downpatrick.

After that police crew returned to their station, other PSNI colleagues later found the vehicle in the Ballymote Walk area of the town.

A man then ran from the vehicle and officers pursued him on foot towards the nearby Colmcille Road.

"As officers returned to their police car, someone was in the driver's seat - driving erratically and directly towards an officer," said Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones.

After the officer discharged one round from his weapon, he was struck by the stolen police car and needed assistance from his colleagues and ambulance staff.

The suspect then abandoned the police car and left the scene.

The incident unfolded over the course of about 45 minutes.

Policing Board Chair, Brendan Mullan, described it as an "extremely serious and reckless incident" and the officer survived what was a "life-threatening situation".

"This incident also provides a very serious reminder of the dangers officers can face in their service to the community," he added.

The Police Ombudsman's Office confirmed that its investigators had attended the scene of the shooting, in line with standard procedures.

"We have been gathering relevant information, including any available video evidence, to assess the circumstances," said its director of investigations, Nikki Davis.

"Our thoughts are with the police officer who has been injured during the incident in Downpatrick and their colleague who was present," she added.