Dean Higgins, 35, and Connor Barnett, 21, were jailed at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday (March 6) for the theft, according to police. The theft took place in the Woolston area of Warrington on December 12 last year. Higgins pleaded guilty to theft, dangerous driving, and driving whilst disqualified, while Barnett pleaded guilty to theft.
At around 2:45 AM, an HGV driver was asleep in his vehicle when woken by loud banging from the rear trailer, according to Greater Manchester Police. The driver saw tyres from his trailer being unloaded and placed onto another vehicle, with around 500 reportedly taken. Police were contacted and the lorry filled with stolen tyres fled the scene.
Officers located the vehicle traveling under false plates as it entered GMP's jurisdiction via the M6 and M62. Cheshire and GMP officers began a covert pursuit. The pursuit reached the West Yorkshire area, where the lorry failed to stop and a pursuit began on the motorway.
A police helicopter followed the pursuit. Footage shows the lorry weaving in and out of traffic, cutting up other vehicles, and narrowly missing a side-swipe on a police vehicle. The lorry collided with a GMP traffic vehicle, causing it to spin out and crash into the central reservation.
The occupants of the police vehicle suffered only minor injuries. According to the Manchester Evening News, the lorry was stung and lost a wheel, then collided with the central reservation, dragging along for several hundred meters before coming to rest. The same report states that Higgins and Barnett alighted the lorry before it came to a stop and were seen sprinting across the opposite carriageway and scrambling up the opposite bank.
They were quickly apprehended by West Yorkshire Police officers and GMP dog units with aid from the Police Air service. The stolen tyres were worth more than £40,000. According to the Manchester Evening News, Higgins was jailed for 27 months, while Barnett was jailed for 14 months.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Higgins is from Winrose Avenue, Leeds, and Barnett is from Quarry Way, Leeds. According to the Manchester Evening News, the pursuit came to an end after the lorry, which had been stung, lost control and came to a rest near Bradford, West Yorkshire. ' According to the Manchester Evening News, thieves crashed into a police vehicle before making off across the M62 on foot.
The same report states that police released footage of the dramatic chase involving three police forces with dogs and helicopters. The specific charges brought against Higgins and Barnett beyond theft, dangerous driving, and driving whilst disqualified have not been detailed. It is also unclear how exactly the thieves were apprehended after fleeing on foot.
The investigation into potential accomplices or related crimes is ongoing.