Donegal gardaí pursue Audi stolen from Derry during spree of overnight car thefts
The car was found burnt out in Derry close to the border while another stolen vehicle weas found burnt out in Burt
Gardaí pursued a car stolen from Derry following a series of car thefts across the border at the weekend.
A black Audi Q7 which was stolen in Claudy in Co Derry around 10pm on Saturday and was “driven dangerously back and forth over the border” through Saturday night and into Sunday afternoon, the PSN” said.
The vehicle was “pursued by officers from both the Police Service of Northern Ireland and An Garda Síochána”.
The vehicle was eventually discovered burnt out close to the border in the Mullennan Road area of Derry at around 6pm on Sunday.
“Those on-board drove the Audi at high speeds with no thought for the safety of other road users,” the PSNI said.
In another of four thefts, a grey Jaguar XF taken from the Cregglea area of Claudy on Saturday night was located by gardaí totally burnt out in Burt at around 2pm.
A silver BMW 320D was taken from Clon Elagh in Derry city following a burglary in which the keys were stolen was known to be travelling towards Buncrana at around 3.30am on Sunday.
A silver Kia Venga stolen from Mansfield Grove in Derry city was last seen heading towards Dungiven at around 1am.
Superintendent Sinead McIldowney said: “We believe that the two thefts in Claudy are linked – and a further link to the thefts in the city is just one line of inquiry we are exploring. We’ve also been made aware that there was an attempt to steal two further vehicles in the Beech Hill View area of Drumahoe, and, again, we’re checking if these may be linked.
“I want to speak directly to those involved in this treacherous activity – this needs to stop, before you kill yourself or an innocent member of the public. Our officers continue to actively search for you, and we can assure the local community that, once located, we will rigorously pursue criminal justice outcomes for these offenders.
“We would also take this opportunity to remind vehicle owners that it is important that you ensure you are doing all you can to keep your vehicle safe. Please make sure you lock the windows and doors to your home before you go to bed, and keep your vehicles locked at all times.
“Having your vehicle broken into or stolen can be distressing, and it can cause a lot of inconvenience if you are without it while it is being repaired or replaced.”