Two police officers hit by car, prompting arrest over 'attempted murder'

Male and female officers were detaining a man on suspicion of drug offences when they were hit in Littlehampton

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two police officers were hit by a car in Sussex.

The officers were carrying out a drug stop in Littlehampton when they, and a third person, were struck in the early hours of Monday morning.

"The two local response officers, a man and woman, were carrying out a routine drugs check on a car and had detained one man on suspicion of drugs offences at the side of the road," a spokesperson for Sussex Police said.

"A Mercedes-Benz saloon approached at speed and collided with the officers and the man they were with."

The two officers and member of the public were taken to hospital to be treated for serious injuries, which are not life-threatening.

A 20-year-old man who was driving the Mercedes-Benz attempted to flee but was caught and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Assistant chief constable Julia Chapman said: “This is being investigated as a deliberate attack on two police officers in the course of carrying out their duties.

"Their injuries, and that of the man they were with, whilst serious, are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two passengers in the car remain outstanding and we urge the public to help us trace and bring to justice all of those involved.”

The incident happened at a roundabout on the A259 at Littlehampton, shortly after 1am.

Wendy Egan, 64, who lives nearby, told Press Association: “The crash woke me up and then I heard raised voices.

"I heard a female yell out 'look what you've done'. I then saw blue lights flashing outside the bedroom window, so looked outside and could see several police cars.

"I put my robe on and went outside ... at one point there were at least 17 police vehicles, two fire engines and I think two ambulances."

The scene in Littlehampton, Sussex, where two police officers were hit by a fast-moving Mercedes Benz in a "deliberate act" early on Monday (PA/Wendy Egan)

It came just over a month after PC Andrew Harper, a Thames Valley Police traffic officer, was killed by a vehicle in Berkshire.

On 8 September, a West Midlands Police officer was hit by a BMW he flagged down in Wolverhampton.

And in August PC Gareth Phillips, also of West Midlands Police, was run over with his own patrol car by a suspected car thief in Birmingham.

An increasing number of violent assaults on police officers across Britain have sparked calls for increased protection, including Tasers.

Police are still searching for the two men who were in the Mercedes-Benz and fled after the collision in Littlehampton.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police online or by calling 101.