Two flee after car crashes into Portslade house during police chase

A stolen car crashed into a house in Portslade as it was being chased by police this afternoon (Tuesday 4 February).

Two men fled and are still being hunted while another was trapped and had to be freed by firemen before being taken to hospital.

Details of the incident have been passed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Sussex Police said: “At about 1.15pm on Tuesday 4 February an Audi TT car left the road in Valley Road, Portslade, and hit the wall of a house.

“Two men got out of the car and ran away and officers have been searching the area for them.

“A third man was mechanically trapped in the car and after being released by fire and rescue was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft and was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital at Brighton for precautionary medical examination.

“There were occupants in the house at the time but they were not hurt.

“The extent of the damage to the house is also not yet clear but it is currently assessed as unsafe and local authority engineers are at the scene.

“There are reports that the front of car caught fire after the crash but there are no reports that the fire spread to the house.

“The car, which is suspected to have been stolen, had been seen by patrolling police officers a short while earlier and officers were searching the area for it when it crashed.

“The precise circumstances of that search are being looked into and the matter has been referred to the IPCC as a matter of standard policy purely because of the police activity at the time.”