Young mum killed by stolen car during police chase

A young mother has been killed by a stolen car that was being chased by police in the Ballysillan area of north Belfast before it crashed.

The Police Ombudsman’s Office has said a stinger was deployed to try to stop the Audi A4, which had been reported stolen from outside a house in the Cavehill Road area just after 8am on Thursday.

The victim, who lived locally, had been walking along the footpath when she was knocked down.

She had been going to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription and that was how she was identified.

Witnesses have described the scene as “very distressing” and said the young woman simply did not stand a chance.

PSNI Superintendent Melanie Jones said the car was spotted by the police helicopter just after 10.40am - heading towards Fortwilliam, where it exited onto the Shore Road.

“As the car then travelled onto the Antrim road, in line with procedure designed to bring a vehicle to a controlled stop, other trained officers deployed a ‘stinger’ device,” she said.

“However, the driver of the stolen vehicle failed to stop.

“After following at a distance, due to concerns about the dangerous manner in which the stolen car was being driven, specially trained police officers ended their pursuit, handing over to the police helicopter.”

Following the fatal collision, a 39-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Musgrave PSNI station for questioning.

A spokesperson for the Police Ombudsman’s Office said: “We are now investigating the actions taken by police in the period prior to the collision.”

The local community has been left shocked by the tragedy – the second in north Belfast in just over 12 hours.

On Wednesday night, a murder investigation was launched after the discovery of a man’s body.