A TEENAGER has been arrested after a stolen vehicle sighting sparked a police chase through central Edinburgh.
A female pedestrian was struck by the vehicle – reported to be a Range Rover – on the capital’s Princes Street during the pursuit, officers said, leading one lane of the busy thoroughfare to be closed for three hours.
Police reported that the chase began after officers spotted a stolen vehicle in the West port area of Edinburgh at around 7.50pm on Wednesday, July 17.
The vehicle did not stop, and officers gave chase along Lady Lawson Street towards Lothian Road. However, they cancelled the pursuit due to safety concerns.
Police said the same vehicle then struck the female pedestrian on Princes Street shortly afterwards. She was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment to minor injuries.
The vehicle then continued onto South Saint David Street, where it crashed into another vehicle. The other driver was uninjured.
After a short chase on foot, police arrested a 17-year-old on Market Street, which runs parallel to the Royal Mile.
Police said the teen has been charged in connection with road traffic offences and released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date.
One lane of Princes Street was closed near the Scott Monument for around three hours as enquiries were carried out, which caused some disruption to public transport.
Police said they “would like to thank members of the public who assisted officers in tracing the male”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here