CS spray used on aggressive suspect

A stolen vehicle was also recovered at the scene on the morning of June 29.

Police were on patrol in the area when they stopped a red Citroen Berlingo.

Inspector Leslie Badger said: “Just after 11am a roads policing patrol stopped a red van near the junction of Ballievey and the Castlewellan Road, Banbridge.

“The male driver didn’t have much by way of a licence or other documentation,” she added.

The officers’ suspicions were raised when they noted different number plates were being used on the van and not the vehicle’s original plates.

Further enquiries revealed that the van had been stolen last November on the outskirts of Rathfriland.

Inspector Badger continued: “The male driver turned out to be disqualified from driving and with that comes other motoring offences.”

The 35-year-old male was arrested and during this time he became aggressive and CS spray was deployed.

He was detained at Lurgan Police Station for driving whilst disqualified, handling stolen goods and possession of Class C drugs.

He was later released on bail pending further enquiries.

Meanwhile in a further bid to keep people safe on our roads, police have issued a warning to trailer-users after a long metal rod dislodged from an unknown vehicle, causing it to spear through the front of a car.

The incident occurred on the A1 dual carriageway last week and it is understood that the rod, after breaking free from a trailer, was flailed up by a lorry before spiking into a vehicle following behind.

No-one was injured in the incident, but police warned this could have been a much more serious incident.

“If you are moving items on the roads in trailers please ensure that they are properly secured,” a police spokesperson said.

They continued: “Very fortunately no-one was injured, though this could have been a very different story”.