Seven arrests after group ditch stolen car in cul-de-sac

Seven arrests have been made after a group of people ran off from officers who discovered a stolen car in Stoke-on-Trent.

At about 5.30pm on Saturday 24 August, a grey Mercedes was stolen whilst parked on a road near Water Street.

Officers have been looking for the car since it was reported stolen and later received a report of a car matching the description inside a cul-de-sac on Bowfell Grove, Longton.

A large group of people were seen inside the car, which was parked up at the roadside.

When officers turned up, those inside the car got out and tried to run off. Seven of them have been arrested:

• A 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, both from Shropshire, on suspicion of car theft
• A 15-year-old boy, from Stoke-on-Trent, on suspicion of car theft and possession of cannabis
• A 13-year-old boy, from Stoke-on-Trent, on suspicion of car theft
• A 16-year-old boy, from Cheadle, a 13-year-old boy, from Stoke-on-Trent and a 12-year-old boy, from Stoke-on-Trent, on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle

They have all been questioned in custody and released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue.

If you’ve got any information that can help us with our investigation, get in touch by calling 101, quoting incident 728 of 24 August, or use Live Chat on our website.

We’ve arrested more than 160 vehicle theft suspects and charged more than 50 with offences as part of our ongoing clampdown on thefts in Staffordshire.

Proactive work alongside neighbouring forces and partners is continuing to identify those involved, protect people’s belongings and to bring thieves before the courts.