Three Police Service of Northern Ireland officers were injured when a pursued articulated lorry collided head-on with their vehicle after driving on the wrong side of the road, a chase that began near Warrenpoint and ended with a 36-year-old man in custody in Rostrevor, County Down.
Chief Inspector Will Brown said the PSNI car was extensively damaged but the officers’ injuries were not thought to be serious on Sunday. The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink or drugs, driving while disqualified and dangerous driving.
From Warrenpoint to Rostrevor
The incident started after a report shortly before 23:30 BST on Saturday that a blue articulated lorry was swerving on Moygannon Road in the Warrenpoint area, Brown said. Officers located a matching vehicle on the Derryleckagh Road in Newry and signalled for it to stop.
Instead of pulling over, the lorry accelerated, crossed onto the wrong carriageway and struck the police vehicle at speed, Brown told BBC News NI. The truck continued toward Rostrevor before coming to a halt in the Water Street area, where the driver ran from the cab.
Officers detained him after a short foot chase. No other road users were reported seriously hurt, though police said the collision put both the public and responders at acute risk on a narrow rural route.
Force response and charges
Brown praised colleagues for bringing the pursuit to a close without more severe casualties. “Our officers put themselves on the front line to help keep people safe,” he said. “Thankfully, no one sustained more serious injuries during this incident, including officers and other road users.”
The three injured officers were assessed and treated according to force protocol. PSNI has not released their names or ranks. The 36-year-old remains in custody while detectives compile evidence from the damaged vehicles and witness accounts along the Derryleckagh and Rostrevor corridors.
What happens next
Traffic investigators are expected to examine tachograph data, CCTV from commercial premises and damage patterns to determine exact speeds and whether additional motoring offences apply. The Public Prosecution Service will decide on charges once the file is complete.
The collision is likely to renew scrutiny of how PSNI pursues heavy goods vehicles on dual-use roads where wrong-way driving leaves little margin for error. For residents in Rostrevor and Newry, the episode is a stark overnight reminder of the hazards patrol staff accept when a routine traffic stop turns into a high-speed confrontation.