News
Man arrested after attempting to evade police by hiding under a trampoline
He was soon spotted by NPAS in a nearby garden, hiding under a trampoline
Georgina Pellant -
1st December 2021 
A man has been arrested in Northenden following a police chase where he attempted to hide under a trampoline to evade capture.
At around 2am on Wednesday morning, officers on patrol spotted a Volkswagen Golf they believed to have been stolen in Northenden.
But after being alerted by officers, the Golf made off sharpish in an attempt to avoid the officers – leading to a short pursuit, as the vehicle shot off in the direction of terminal 2 at Manchester Airport.
Things escalated quickly as the National Police Air Service (NPAS) was deployed to track the vehicle. Before long, it was sighted travelling along Portway.
The driver was clearly in a panic, as the car then mounted the pavement and then collided with a wall on Harry Rowley Close, Woodhouse Park.
Following the collision, the driver made off on foot in another desperate escape attempt – but was soon spotted by NPAS in a nearby garden, hiding under a trampoline, before he again made off towards Portway.
The man was ultimately detained by a nearby officer and arrested on suspicion of burglary. He remains in custody for questioning.
The VW Golf was recovered and is believed to have been involved in a series of burglaries in the Trafford area.
Read more: Northern mum accidentally lists her baby for sale on Facebook for £1
This isn’t the first time that alleged burglars have used a trampoline in an attempt to evade police, either.
In 2016, a “bouncing burglar” used a trampoline to evade escape in Oldham, leaping from a window onto the child’s play apparatus in an acrobatic escape before slipping and making off across the lawn.
And further afield in 2019 in Cape Town, a suspect used a trampoline to make a leap of faith over a wall in order to evade Metro officers hot on his tail in pursuit. Reportedly, in this case officers considered impounding the trampoline for “aiding and abetting” his escape but later decided against it. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
It seems trampolines are a popular route of escape and can even be quite a successful option – if you use them to bounce on rather than to hide under, that is sort of their purpose after all.
Featured image: Pixabay / Unsplash
