LONDON, England – A man is going to prison for four years after committing several crimes, including intentionally reversing his vehicle at full speed into a police officer’s motorcycle.
The Metropolitan police officer in London, England was injured in the attack, with injuries to his leg, shoulders, and back.
A manhunt led officers to Joseph Ward, 24, who ended up pleading guilty to 14 charges for the current and previous offenses, including assault with bodily harm, impersonating a police officer, dangerous driving and failing to stop for police.
Inspector Tony McGovern stopped Ward because he “was suspicious of how the driver was behaving.”
In the video at the top of this story, McGovern is heard asking Ward whether he had been racing another driver.
He then asked him to turn off his engine, at which point Ward is seen pulling forward, stopping, then throwing the Mitsubishi into reverse, plowing into McGovern, who was thrown from his motorcycle.
“I have been a police officer for 18 years and I never expected to be deliberately rammed off my motorbike in such a violent and aggressive act,” McGovern said. “I continue to recover from the injuries I suffered that day, however I remain determined to serve the people of London and remove violent and dangerous offenders from the streets.”
Police say Ward had been involved in several previous crimes, including impersonating a police officer, leading officers on a pursuit, and leaving the scene of an accident.