A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after driving a vehicle at force towards three police officers.
The incident occurred whilst a local policing team was responding to a disturbance at a house on Rathkeel Road in Ballymena, Antrim, at around 11.35pm on Thursday.
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One police officer was forced to jump out of the way of a red Vauxhall Vectra, which was driven directly at them whilst they were outside the home.
The Vectra continued for a short distance before ramming a stationary police vehicle.
The force of the collision caused the police car to strike an officer nearby and forced a third officer to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the Vectra.
After the incident, the suspect continued in his vehicle in the direction of Broughshane, losing a tyre on the way, which struck a car travelling along the same road.
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A chase ensued, and police caught the suspect after deploying a stinger device.
The vehicle then collided with the fence of a house on Whinsmoor Road and stopped.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of offences, including the attempted murder of three police officers, aggravated vehicle taking, criminal damage and dangerous driving, and remains in police custody this morning.
He will also be questioned in connection with the disturbance at the Rathkeel Road property.
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Chief Inspector Adrian Bryan said: “Despite being injured during the incident, all three of the officers involved remained on duty for the remainder of the night.
“The work police officers do to keep people safe and protect the public should never be taken for granted.”
