Horror of PC dragged 700 yards

A policeman was dragged 700 yards at up to 70mph by a crazed driver when a routine road check turned into a terrifying ordeal, it emerged today.

The officer desperately held on during a struggle with the suspect who swerved towards a bus in a bid to shake him off.

A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the incident which eventually ended in a high-speed crash.

The scenes unfolded after the unnamed Pc and his colleague stopped the car in Edgware as part of a routine operation to fight burglary, street and vehicle crime.

They became suspicious when they saw a man in the back of the vehicle trying to hide something they believed might be drugs and, after pulling the car over, he was questioned and arrested. The driver, who was wanted for failing to appear in court, was also arrested.

But when the officers allowed him to return to the car to say goodbye to two young children, aged four and seven, he jumped back in and locked the doors and raced off.

The quick-thinking 30-yearold officer, from Barnet, smashed the car's window and grabbed hold of the driver. But as the car sped away - veering from right to left - he was left hanging on for dear life.

He eventually managed to pull himself into the speeding car, which then collided with another vehicle at the junction with Orange Hill Road.

The driver made a final dash for freedom but was chased by assisting officers and arrested, along with the woman passenger.

The Pc was treated at the Royal Free Hospital for neck, chest and shoulder injuries and cuts and bruising. He is on sick leave.

"This is a very serious attempt on a police officer's life and highlights the dangers that every officer can face, even in the simplest of situations," said Detective Chief Inspector Keith Surtees, who is investigating the incident on Wednesday.

A 28-year-old man from the Barnet are and a 28-year-old woman from Buckinghamshire were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Both are in custody at a north London police station.