Hapless police blasted for using car to chase shoplifter in wheelchair down the street, as suspect escapes twice
27 January 2025, 21:54 | Updated: 27 January 2025, 22:08
A Yorkshire woman in a wheelchair who shoplifted ‘high value’ goods was chased by a police car with its siren blaring and blue lights on, evading them twice before finally being apprehended.
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Videos show the woman fleeing from police on a main road in Sheffield, as a South Yorkshire police car sounded its siren and chased the woman around a car park and into the road.
The woman, fleeing on her three-wheeled motorised wheelchair, twice outmanoeuvred the police car as they tried to force her to stop.
The video was uploaded to TikTok over the weekend with the caption “That’s embarrassing Sheffield police”.
Police later said they detained the woman, who admitted to stealing ‘high value’ items from the nearby Meadowhall shopping centre.
Loreto Valente, manager of Carol Windows and Conservatories on Meadowhall Road, the location of the chase, said the police ‘can run faster than that.’
He told the Telegraph: “The scooter … came down Meadowhall Road, which is directly outside our showroom, and carried on going past us. I don’t know how far down Meadowhall Road they went or whether they turned off.
“I’m assuming the police apprehended them in the end. But I don’t know why they didn’t get out and actually run after them, or something. I don’t know why they were trying to drive. You could run faster than that.”
In a statement, a South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Yesterday, at 12.25pm, we received a call regarding a report of shoplifting at Meadowhall shopping centre.
“It is understood that a 33-year-old woman stole a high value of goods and left the scene, travelling on a mobility scooter along Weedon Street.
“The woman was reportedly driving erratically, and an officer followed in a police car due to concern for the woman’s own safety and that of other road users.
“The woman was detained and the stolen items were recovered. The woman admitted to stealing the items and will be dealt with by way of an out-of-court disposal.”
