A dangerous driver was caught on camera leading police on a terrifying high-speed chase in Nottingham.
Police pursued Kai Hopkins, 22, as he sped through residential areas, across the city centre of Nottingham and onto the M1.
Officers had initially tried to stop him after noticing he had attached playing cards to his car’s registration plates to obscure them from view.
But Hopkins, of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, instead sped off on Huntington Street near the city centre of Nottingham on January 2, 2022.
During a 20-minute chase, he swerved all over the road, ignored multiple red lights, and nearly collided with oncoming traffic.
He drove at more than twice the speed limit in several 30mph zones, prompting the police to follow him at a safe distance to avoid accidents.
The officers attempted to stop Hopkins by deploying a ‘stinger’ to puncture his car’s tyres, but he managed to avoid it and continued towards the motorway.
When Hopkins reached the M1, several police cars were involved in the pursuit, with officers from the road crime team and armed response unit working together to apprehend him.
They eventually boxed in Hopkins’ car and brought it to a stop.
The 22-year-old was then arrested at the side of the motorway, but not before attempting to escape by twice ramming the squad car in front of him.
Despite his efforts, the police eventually arrested Hopkins at the side of the motorway.
He later appeared before Nottingham Crown Court and pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving, driving without a licence, and driving without insurance.
The court sentenced Hopkins to a three year community order. He has been disqualified from driving for 18 months.
PC Jeremy Beard, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: ‘It’s only thanks to the driving skills demonstrated by pursuing officers and sheer luck that Hopkins’ actions that day didn’t lead to someone being seriously injured.
‘By choosing to drive in the incredibly dangerous manner that he did, in what for long parts of this incident were built up residential areas, he put everyone in his near vicinity at risk of harm.
‘He showed a complete and utter disregard for the safety of other members of the community and has rightly been brought before the courts as a result.
‘I sincerely hope this provides him with a serious wake-up call and he uses this experience to better himself going forward.’
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