Man dies in police car chase in Old Trafford

A driver has been killed and two women injured in a crash after a police car chase through Manchester. The Mercedes S320 was being driven by a 24-year-old man who had "made off from the patrol car at speed", according to police.

Following a 'short pursuit' by police, the vehicle collided with a Mini at the junction of Chester Road and Warwick Road South before hitting a barrier. The driver of the Mercedes died at the scene while the two women in the Mini were taken to hospital with multiple injuries.

The collision, which took place at around 3.30am on Sunday, has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Superintendent Jen Williams from Greater Manchester Police's Professional Standards Branch, which is investigating the incident, said: "In the early hours of this morning, following a short police pursuit, a man has sadly died after his car collided with another vehicle.

"GMP's Professional Standards Branch is investigating this incident to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision and we are in the process of informing the man's family, to whom we will be providing support from specially trained officers.

"Officers from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit are currently conducting inquiries at the scene and the road will remain shut while this happens."

The crash was a mandatory referral to the police watchdog, Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). In a statement the IPCC said: "[Our] investigators have already begun to collect evidence relating to the collision, including taking initial accounts from the officers involved, gathering CCTV footage, and retrieving the data recorder from the police vehicle." Anyone with information about the incident can call the IPCC on 0300 020 0096.