Police officers repeatedly rammed a man who referred to himself as 'Mad Kenny' during a 125 mph chase through busy traffic. Kenneth Davison, 61, had called police dispatchers, stating he intended to cause "carnage" on Coast Road, Tyneside, during rush hour on April 8.
Davison, who told a 999 call handler he was going to reach speeds of 160 mph and "go bang," later informed officers that he intended to "end it all." He provided his vehicle's registration, allowing police to initiate a pursuit.
The chase began when Davison's blue Audi S3 was spotted weaving through traffic near Battle Hill. Police initiated a "tactical contact," ramming his vehicle. Despite this, Davison continued speeding at 120 mph in a 50 mph zone, braking sharply and causing smoke to billow from the rear of his car.
Footage released this week shows Davison waving his arm out of the driver's side window while swerving across the motorway. The pursuit continued to the Billy Mill roundabout, where Davison drove through traffic stopped at a red light, damaging the car of a doctor en route to the hospital.
Officers rammed Davison's car again, but he evaded them, disabling the police vehicle and causing shoulder pain to its driver. Davison then sped in the opposite direction, leading another police car in pursuit. He accelerated to 120 mph before mounting a grass mound to bypass traffic lights.
After a third and fourth ramming by pursuing officers, the Audi S3 finally crashed into a barrier, ending the six-minute chase. An empty vodka bottle was found in Davison's heavily damaged vehicle, and he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, possibly cocaine.
During an interview with police, Davison stated he wanted officers to help him end his life after being fired from his job. He claimed he wanted to take his own life.
Davison was sentenced to 14 months in jail, suspended for 18 months, with an order for 150 hours of unpaid work and a 120-day alcohol monitoring requirement. He also received a 30-month driving ban.
Judge Penny Moreland noted that the incident occurred at 8 a.m. when Coast Road was busy with commuters, stating that many people must have been frightened and inconvenienced by Davison's actions, which showed an "utter disregard for the risk of danger to others."