The moment police fished a freezing fugitive from a lake has been captured on camera.
An officer’s bodycam shows him grabbing 18-year-old Davey Smith out of the water on a cold November night.
Officers then put warm clothing and a foil blanket on the shivering youngster before taking him into custody.
Video
Watch police fish a criminal out of a lake after a pursuitBodycam captures the moment we fished a shivering criminal out of a lake before arresting him 👮♂️
Posted by North Yorkshire Police on Tuesday 25 February 2025
The footage was released today, after Davey was sentenced by magistrates.
The incident began in the early hours of 6 November last year, when a Ford Mondeo was spotted in suspicious circumstances on the outskirts of Scarborough.
When the car failed to stop for police, they gave chase. They used a stinger to deflate the car’s tyres and bring it to a halt in Forge Valley.
Smith, the driver, and his passenger then fled on foot towards Throxenby Mere.
The passenger was detained immediately. However, there was no sign of Smith.
After around 45 minutes of searching by torchlight, Traffic Sergeant Mark Patterson noticed a figure almost fully submerged in the water.
Bodycam footage shows the moment he reached in and dragged Smith out of the cold lake.
Sgt Patterson said: “Smith was arrested and we immediately gave him first aid to help him warm up while an ambulance was called.
“He was shivering, so we wrapped him in a foil blanket and gave him one of our woolly police hats to wear, and a thick winter police coat.
“It certainly wasn’t the cleverest place to hide on a cold November night and he could have caused himself serious harm.”
Throxenby Mere
Sgt Patterson added: “His dangerous driving also posed a massive risk to others. So I’m glad we were able to use our resources and tactics to bring him to a safe stop in a quiet area.”
Smith was taken to hospital before being charged.
The passenger, a 17-year-old boy, was also detained but was later released with no further action.
Smith pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failure to stop, failing to provide a specimen of blood for analysis and driving without insurance or an appropriate licence.
Magistrates in Scarborough yesterday sentenced him to 32 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, 200 hours of unpaid work, a 28-month driving ban and ordered him to pay more than £270 in fines and costs.