New Metropolitan Police footage shows a van driver ramming a patrol car during a pursuit in West London before fleeing on foot and being arrested following a search involving a police helicopter and dog unit.
The incident took place on 5 March 2026, according to the date visible on police camera recordings. The footage was published by the Metropolitan Police on 26 October 2026 as part of its On Scene series.
What the police footage shows
Officers on routine patrol spotted a Transit-style van they suspected was displaying cloned registration plates, according to the force’s account accompanying the video. Checks subsequently confirmed the plates were cloned, police said.
The pursuit led officers into a dead end, where they attempted to contain the vehicle. Video shows the van striking a police car before driving over a pavement to escape. The pursuit continued briefly until the driver left the van and ran away.
Footage from the National Police Air Service then shows the search from above. With police dogs also deployed, officers located and detained the driver after he tried to hide in a nearby garden bush.
A dashcam caption identifies Wadham Gardens as one location along the route. The released footage does not by itself establish the full route or whether anyone was injured.
What is known about the sentence?
In a public LinkedIn post linked to the police video, Barnaby Peppiatt, who identifies himself as a Metropolitan Police officer and describes the officers involved as colleagues from his Vehicle Enforcement Team, said the driver received two and a half years in prison and a six-month driving disqualification.
The video’s chapter list also includes a section headed ‘Charges & Sentencing’ at 5:57. However, Fish 4 News has not located a separate court record or official sentencing notice confirming the person’s name, the individual offences, the court or the sentencing date. The sentence above is therefore attributed to the officer’s public account rather than independently confirmed from court documentation.
Why cloned number plates matter
A cloned registration plate uses another vehicle’s identifying number, potentially causing an innocent registered keeper to receive fines or enforcement notices for journeys they did not make.
On 14 October 2026, the National Police Chiefs’ Council announced a new reporting service developed with the DVLA. In England and Wales, motorists can report suspected cloned plates through their police force’s online form, which also shares the report with the DVLA.
The government guidance on cloned plates also advises affected motorists to challenge any incorrectly issued fines directly with the organisation that sent them. Reporting the cloning does not automatically cancel a fine.
Watch the Metropolitan Police footage
The video includes police body-worn and dashboard footage alongside National Police Air Service aerial footage. Watch the original video on YouTube.
