A police officer has suffered serious injuries following a deliberate ramming incident involving a vehicle in the early hours of Wednesday, 21st May, in Newry.
According to police, the incident began around 2:00am when officers were alerted to a vehicle being driven erratically in the Dublin Road area. Approximately an hour later, the vehicle was located—but when approached, it rammed the responding police car.
Inspector Jonathan Ritchie confirmed that one officer sustained fractured vertebrae in the collision, describing the injuries as “substantial” and warning of a long road to recovery.
“This vehicle was, in effect, used as a weapon against officers,” said Inspector Ritchie. “It is unacceptable that those working to keep their community safe should be targeted in this way.”
The police vehicle involved sustained severe damage and had to be removed from the scene for repairs. Authorities say the loss of the vehicle will affect local policing capabilities in the short term.
“The actions of the driver responsible must be condemned,” Ritchie added. “This is completely unacceptable and members of the public could have also been injured during this completely reckless and dangerous incident. We are lucky that we are not dealing with any fatalities as a result of this.”
A teenage boy was arrested at the scene and has since been charged with a number of driving-related offences. He was due to appear in court on Wednesday.
Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage from the Dublin Road area between 1:45am and 3:00am to come forward.
