Rampaging half-naked drunk armed with knife stole bus from Leeds station
Officers were forced to use Taser to bring him under control
A drunken thug who chased terrified members of the public with a knife then stole a coach from Leeds Bus Station.
Bradley Douglas, who was “half naked” at the time had to be subdued with a Taser to bring the inexplicable, early-morning rampage to an end.
The 22-year-old was given a suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court this week after being held on remand for almost four months.
Prosecuting the bizarre case, Victoria Ball said a car had been travelling through Leeds city centre at around 5am on May 29.
It was quiet due to the time, but when the vehicle stopped at traffic lights at St Peter’s Street, a highly-intoxicated Douglas suddenly opened the door, brandished a knife and said: “If any of you move, I will stab you.”
He ordered the three terrified occupants to get out, which they did and began to run towards New York Street.
But instead of getting into the vehicle, Douglas chased them on foot for around two minutes.
He then switched his attention to a man near the bus station, who himself began to run when knife-waving Douglas rushing came towards him.
Noticing the door of the bus open, Douglas boarded and got into the driver’s seat, started the engine and reversed out of the bay.
He only drove it around 30 metres towards the exit, before stopping, putting on the hazard warning lights and called the police himself.
He told them he was trying to steal a bus and was going to kill any passengers.
Officers arrived and he emerged from the vehicle with the knife, so a decision was taken to incapacitate him with the 50,000-volt Taser.
Having been arrested, he gave a breath test and blew 107 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls of breath. The legal limit is 35 mcgs, putting him more than three times over the drink-drive limit.
However, he later refused to give an evidential test.
Douglas, of Delmont Close, Batley, later admitted two counts of making threats with a bladed article, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
He appeared in court over a video link from HMP Leeds.
Mitigating, Matthew Stewart said Douglas was had been drinking for nine hours that day and that alcohol “played a pivotal role”.
He said Douglas took responsibility for his actions, there was little or no planning and that he expressed remorse.
He added that he had been involved with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) since he was in year nine at school, to help tackle his mental-health issues.
Douglas had worked as a driver for Sainsbury’s but had lost his job as a consequence of his arrest.
The judge, Recorder Robert Ward acknowledged the time spent in prison, so opted to give Douglas a 22-month sentence, suspended for two years.
He ordered he be put under an electronically-monitored alcohol-treatment requirement for 120 days and complete 20 rehabilitation days with probation.
He also received a 29-month driving ban.
Recorder Ward told him: “It’s sad you have ended up in this situation and spent the summer in prison on remand.
“I hope we never see you again. You have had a taste of prison and I don’t think you want to go back.”