Watch the moment Police arrested a man from a stolen lorry he recklessly drove around Birmingham.
A man who stole a lorry by knifepoint in Birmingham and drove it around the residential streets of Birmingham has been jailed.
Bradley Burns threatened a lorry driver by knifepoint as she was parked up in a 12-tonne gritter truck at a hospital on Mindelshon Way.
The 25-year-old forced the driver out of her cab and took control of the lorry, driving it recklessly through the residential streets of Birmingham and Bournville.
The drama unfolded on 25 February 2023, Burns was pursued by officers who had to retreat and call in the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter after he tried to ram a police vehicle.
With the safety of the public a number one priority, Burns was followed by the helicopter and traffic officers.
Helicopter footage shows Burns driving around the streets in an attempt to evade officers.
He deliberately crashes into a stationary caravan and taunts the helicopter as officers are directed in to his location where he drives onto grassland on Ruthall Close and gets grounded.
Knowing that the helicopter is above him and that officers are closing in Burns, who is from Abdon Avenue in Birmingham, then pours petrol over himself and the cab of the lorry.
Officers eventually managed to talk Burns into surrendering and he was arrested for robbery.
He pleaded guilty to robbery and dangerous driving at an earlier hearing and was sentenced last week at Birmingham Crown Court to six and a half years in jail.
Detective Constable David Wilson, from Birmingham’s crime team, said: “This is an absolutely amazing result which provides some justice for our victim for what must have been a very frightening experience.
“It’s testament to the strength of the work of all officers involved that such a substantial sentence has been handed down, removing this person from our streets for a significant time.”