Six Police Cars Chase Driver Through Hvalfjörður Tunnel

Six police cars and four police motorcycles were involved in a pursuit on the afternoon of April 13, which ended when a police vehicle rammed the car’s left side. The driver is currently in police custody, reports mbl.is.

The vehicle was initially reported to police by pedestrians in Borgarnes due to erratic driving.

Árni Friðleifsson, assistant chief superintendent in the traffic division of the Capital Area Police, said officers in West Iceland encountered the vehicle near Kúludalsá, south of Akrafjall and close to the Hvalfjörður Tunnel, and signalled for it to stop. The driver failed to comply, and a pursuit started.

Watch the video of the pursuit on mbl.is.

After the car entered the Hvalfjörður Tunnel, the Capital Area Police were asked to assist and were placed on standby in Kjalarnes.

“We had three to four vehicles assigned to this operation. We attempted to stop the car with spike strips in Mosfellsbær, but that did not have the intended effect,” Árni says.

Radar data from police vehicles suggests the car was travelling between 150 and 170 km/h.

The pursuit ended at Stefnisvogur in the Vogabyggð neighbourhood of Reykjavík. Police had earlier set up checkpoints with spike strips on Miklabraut, Reykjanesbraut and further down on Sæbraut in case the vehicle headed in that direction.

At Stefnisvogur, police rammed the vehicle. A similar attempt had earlier been made at a roundabout on Vesturlandsvegur, but without success, according to Árni.

The driver was inside with a dog. The driver remains in police custody. There were suspicions he was under the influence, and a blood sample was taken for testing. No further information about the case has been disclosed.