Driver held after M8 car chase

A CAR-AZY driver caused chaos on a busy stretch of motorway as he led cops on a high-speed chase that lasted for miles.

Yesterday, the rush hour chase was being compared to an episode of the popular TV show ‘Police Camera Action.’

At one stage, startled motorists were forced to switch lanes as the danger driver sped along the hard shoulder in a BMW car.

After the mad motorist gave pursuing traffic cops the slip, the police helicopter joined in the search and the crew spotted the suspect in part of Renfrew.

During the chase, it’s understood the fleeing driver was involved in a collision with another vehicle.

Minutes later, police surrounded a property in Renfrew after a man was seen going into a tenement close.

Following his arrest, he was taken to a local police station, where he was quizzed before being charged with a series of road traffic offences.

The dramatic chase began shortly before 6pm on Tuesday in the Shieldhall area of Govan.

Police tailed the vehicle onto the M8 motorway’s hard shoulder and along various streets for a couple of miles.

One driver who alerted the Paisley Daily Express said: “It was like something you would see in a cop show on the television.

“A BMW car sped past me while I was on the inside lane of the motorway heading towards Paisley, with the hard shoulder on my left.

“This car came from nowhere and flew by me. Police were giving chase but they didn’t go onto the hard shoulder, they stayed on the motorway lanes with their sirens blaring and lights flashing. Other motorists got out of the way to let the police pass them. I’m not sure where the car which was being chased left the M8.”

There were fears the motorist had managed to evade officers who were in pursuit in their patrol cars but a police helicopter was brought in and its crew spotted the vehicle in the Fulbar Avenue area of Renfrew just after 6pm.

One source said: “By this time, the suspect was on foot after abandoning the car he was in. That vehicle had damage to it following a collision with another vehicle.

“The suspect was in a tenement close and it was there that he was cornered and arrested by a number of officers. He was last seen being escorted into a police car and driven off.”

A police spokesperson confirmed that a 35-year-old man from the Renfrew area has been arrested in connection with the car chase.

“There was an incident on the M8 and in Renfrew at around 6pm on Tuesday,” added the spokesperson. “The incident involved a number of officers in cars and the police helicopter.

“A man was arrested and is now facing a number of road traffic charges. He is expected to appear in court at a later date.”