Audi Driver Launches ‘Arsenal’ of Fireworks From Car Window During Police Chase That Reached 140 MPH
New footage released by South Wales Police shows the driver of a black Audi RS6 launching an “arsenal” of fireworksout of his car window during a police pursuit. Both the driver and his passenger shot off the fireworks while weaving in and out of traffic and reaching speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.
The 34-year-old driver of the Audi was traveling on the busy A4232 in Cardiff, according to South Wales Police. When a police officer turned on his lights and attempted to pull the Audi over, the driver took off.
The passenger in the Audi was also shooting off fireworks during the pursuit
Prosecutors told the court that he was holding a device out of the driver’s window, which was firing what they referred to as a “barrage” of fireworks into the air, Wales Online reported. While he was doing that, the passenger was sitting on the open window frame, his body above the car’s roof, also shooting off fireworks.
At one point during the police chase, the Audi driver almost lost control of his car. During another part of the pursuit, the Audi reached 140 mph. Due to the excessive speed, the police officer eventually lost sight of the Audi. It was, however, soon located in the car park of an industrial estate by a helicopter from the National Police.
The helicopter crew helped the officers on the ground find the Audi, partly hidden by bushes. When they approached the vehicle, the driver took off on foot, but was soon caught and arrested.
Authorities had only recently released the driver of the Audi from prison
Following his arrest, the Audi driver told officers he had been “stupid.” That would prove to be an understatement.
The court sentenced the driver to eight years in prison for running an organized crime group due to his 2022 drug conviction. Authorities granted him early release from that sentence in May 2024.
His lawyer said that he “panicked” when he saw the police car. The attorney added that the fireworks incident and subsequent chase were something his client “bitterly regrets.”
“You put your fear of being returned to prison, your fear of losing your liberty, ahead of the dangers you were obviously causing other road users… it was a terrifying example of driving dangerously with no regard for the safety of others,” the judge told the driver of the Audi. “The only regard you had was for yourself.”
He sentenced the driver to eight months in prison for dangerous driving. The judge also suspended the Audi driver’s license for 28 months and required him to pass an extended test before he could get it back. The court fined the passenger £153 ($209) after he pleaded guilty to a fireworks offense.
