The horrendous moment was caught on police bodycam footage
Terrifying moment stolen Land Rover reverses over police car caught on bodycam
Police bodycam footage shows the terrifying moment a reversing Land Rover Defender nearly crushed two officers in the middle of a leafy North London road.
PC Angel De Melo, a passenger in a police car tailing a suspected stolen vehicle, asked: “What’s he doing?”
Mere moments later, PC Rishav Neupane, braces and releases his hands from the steering wheel.
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All two-tonnes of the four-by-four screech backwards, onto the bonnet, and over the windscreen.
Directly underneath the Land Rover’s rear wheel, PC De Melo thinks to herself: “This is it”.
PC Neupane agrees. “I thought Angel was going to be crushed,” he later confessed.
On Saturday, 24 January, officers were alerted that a Land Rover Defender had been reported as stolen. PC De Melo and PC Neupane were on patrol in the area when they saw a vehicle matching the description pass in front of them.
They began to follow and observe it, making checks on police systems as they did so. It turned into Somerton Street in Barnet and came to a stop. Without any warning, the driver reversed at speed into the officers’ stationary vehicle which had come to a stop immediately behind.
The two officers have now been commended for their bravery after a car reversed into them at speed
Bodycam footage shows PC Neupane leaping out of the car, while PC De Melo grabs for her radio. Inches from death, the officer remains composed. “Control, we’ve been reverse rammed by this vehicle,” she says.
Around 20 seconds later PC De Melo is pointing a TASER at the Land Rover which has landed on its side. The driver jumps out, ignoring her commands. After a two-minute chase, a male officer catches up and the suspected thief is taken to the ground.
“Everything happened so quickly but in those kind of incidents, it feels like time slows down,” said PC De Melo after the arrest, “The wheel was directly in line with my face. I remember seeing it come towards us and I braced for it to ram us. But then it didn’t stop. I remember feeling a mist of shattered glass all over me. In that moment I thought – this is it.”
“I’ve been rammed before but nothing like this, ” said PC Neupane, “I can remember the sound of the windscreen crushing, the tyres rolling over it and the windscreen starting to collapse. That sticks in my mind.”
Remarkably, the officers were not seriously injured. Without hesitation, they left their vehicle, challenged the driver and then pursued on foot when he fled. Thanks to their determination, they were able to stop and arrest him after a brief chase.
A 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm on a police officer; theft of a motor vehicle; dangerous driving; and driving without insurance. He has been bailed until a date in late March. The Met Police have released footage of the incident on January 24 this year to highlight the dangers faced by officers.
Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, in charge of policing in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, said: “The actions of these officers highlight policing at its very best: teamwork, resilience, and bravery in the face of a genuine threat.
The photographs from the scene highlight how close they were to serious, potentially life‑changing harm. We are incredibly fortunate that they were able to walk away – let alone continue the pursuit and ensure the suspect’s safe arrest.
“This incident highlights not only their individual courage but also the extraordinary heroism displayed by frontline officers across the Met every single day. The use of vehicles as weapons continues to pose significant risks, yet our officers confront this danger with unwavering professionalism and resolve.”
