Police chase van going wrong way up M1 in dramatic pursuit that ended with taser in Leeds

The LGV was first spotted behaving suspiciously by Derbyshire officers who began following it northbound on the motorway.

Officers managed to get ahead of the van and deploy a stop stick but officers said they were "dumbfounded" by the driver's next move.

The LGV left the motorway and drove around Durkar for a short while.

They then rejoined the M1 on the southbound carriageway but drove in the opposite direction - heading northbound towards Leeds.

It was then chased by officers from Derbyshire Police and then South Yorkshire police as it headed up the M1.

When the HGV came off at Junction 41 in Leeds, the forces were joined by West Yorkshire Police.

The chase continued into Middleton where the van lost both of its front tyres.

This damage caused a "trail of destruction" to road signs and left gouges in the tarmac.

Eventually, the HGV was caught on Belle Isle Road when the driver lost traction on the uphill road.

Both people in van fled the scene and tried to hide in nearby gardens.

They were tasered.

-> These are the high-rise Leeds tower blocks with 120 flats that could be demolishedIn a statement shared on Facebook, the South Yorkshire Police Operational Support team said: "There is definitely a link between full moons and people's behaviour and last night was no exception.

"This LGV was spotted initially by Derbyshire's Traffic Department who were following it northbound on the M1. The vehicle and its occupants had been acting suspiciously. We joined the convoy as it travelled through our county as we quickly put in to place what options we had to try and stop it.

"Officers travelled up ahead and deployed a stop stick close to Junction 39 which was deployed successfully, however, what followed left all officers involved dumbfounded.

"The LGV left the network, travelled a short distance around Durkar before rejoining the M1, the wrong way, where it was driven north on the southbound carriageway !!

"Officers immediately deactivated their emergency lighting and followed the vehicle on the correct side of the M1.

"Thankfully and amazingly, no one was hurt, the LGV exited the M1 at junction 41 and made its way into Leeds where West Yorkshire Police joined us.

"Travelling into the Middleton area of Leeds, the LGV had lost both its front tyres as a result of the earlier stop stick, leaving a trail of destruction of road signs and gouges in the tarmac.

"The chaos eventually came to an end when the driver lost traction on an uphill stretch of Belle Isle Road. Both occupants ran from the truck and into gardens.

"They tried their best to hide but with Traffic Departments from 3 Forces hell-bent on bringing them to justice, it was only ever going to end one way ... one of which involved a Taser.

"Thankfully, no innocent members of society were injured and the driver has some interesting questions to answer today."

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