Witness appeal following serious road traffic incident in south London

28 Jul 2017 01:08 PM

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating the circumstances surrounding a police pursuit in south London, after a 26-year-old man was seriously injured when he was hit by a car being followed by police.

One week on from the incident, which happened on Thursday 20 July, the IPCC is appealing for any witnesses to get in touch.

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers were in pursuit of the silver Toyota Corolla after it failed to stop for them at around 1.15pm on July 20. The pursuit took place between Wandsworth Road and Clapham Common North Side, before the car struck the pedestrian at the junction with Forth Bridge Road.

IPCC investigators attended the scene of the collision to oversee the evidence gathering process and the post incident procedures. CCTV and data and footage from the police car has been gathered and will be analysed as the investigation progresses.

Operations Manager Catherine Hall, who is overseeing the investigation, said: "A young man has sustained very serious injuries in this terrible incident, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Our investigation will examine the circumstances prior to the collision to determine whether appropriate policies and procedures were followed.

“The pursuit occurred in a busy area of south London in the middle of the day, and we ask anybody who saw what happened to get in touch with us.”

Any witnesses who saw the events leading up to the collision, should contact the IPCC on 0800 096 9077 or claphamcommonnorthside.rti@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk(link sends e-mail)

The Metropolitan Police Service is carrying out a criminal investigation into the collision.