Nine injured including five seriously hurt after car crash following police pursuit
Nine people have been injured including five who are seriously hurt following a police pursuit in east London.
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Metropolitan officers attempted to stop the vehicle after having suspicions it was stolen, but a chase was sparked after it failed to stop.
A collision then took place at around 12:30am on Saturday morning at the junction of Barley Lane and the High Road in Ilford.
Ten patients were treated at the scene and nine were taken to hospital, five of which, aged between 14 and 64, remain there with serious injuries.
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The driver, later revealed as a woman in her twenties, was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, theft and failing to stop.
Four other passengers, including a teenage girl, were also detained for being in a stolen vehicle.
A spokesperson for the force said: "Officers were on patrol at around 00:30hrs on Saturday, 16 May when they attempted to stop a vehicle after having reason to believe it was stolen.
"The car failed to stop, and a short pursuit ensued.
"The vehicle was subsequently involved in a collision with another car on Barley Lane junction with High Road, Redbridge.
"Nine people were reported injured, including the driver of the suspected stolen vehicle, the four passengers, the driver of the second car, a further two passengers from that vehicle, and a moped driver.
"Officers were supported by the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance. Six people were taken to hospital for assessment. Five people, aged between 14 and 46 years old, remain in hospital with serious injuries."
The spokesperson added: "Enquiries are ongoing and the road remains closed at this time in all directions."
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson added: "We were called at 12.34am to reports of a road traffic collision at the junction of Barley Lane and Goodmayes Road, Ilford.
"We sent a number of resources including ambulance crews, an incident response officer, our joint response unit, an advanced paramedic practitioner, members of our Hazardous Areas Response Team (HART) and London’s air ambulance."