Penistone Road Sheffield: Latest after special constable is mown down and arrest is made

Special constables are volunteers who give up their spare time to help police forces.

On Wednesday night, two specials were on duty when they responded to an incident unfolding on Penistone Road, Hillsborough.

MORE: Penistone Road Sheffield: Special constable hit by vehicle as cops are sent out over reports of man with gun

One of them was struck by a stolen car; the other special was also involved but escaped with superficial injuries.

MORE: Scenes from across Sheffield as two in custody for stabbing while police hunt motorist who mowed down cop

Detectives are still trying to piece together exactly what happened but said officers were initially deployed to a collision involving a black BMW and a red Vauxhall Corsa at around 9.45pm on Penistone Road.

One man left the BMW, which was suspected to have been stolen, on foot.

This man, believed to have had a gun, fled and stole a red Ford SMAX and then drove it on the wrong side of the carriageway down Penistone Road.

Shortly afterwards, the man is said to have left the vehicle and ran across the same road to steal a silver Tiguan from another member of the public, driving away towards Bradfield Road.

This is when the special constables were injured after being struck by the Tiguan

Detectives believe a gun was fired in the Adlington Road area of Southey Green sometime between 9.30pm and 9.45pm that night, which could be linked to the Penistone Road incident.

DCI Andy Knowles explained: “Enquiries have progressed at pace with a dedicated team looking to piece together exactly how things unfolded.

“Initial enquiries point to a shooting being the catalyst to the night’s events, potentially having taken place in the Southey Green or Adlington Road area, but we are keen not to rule anything out. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that a man presented at Northern General Hospital at 9.50pm (on Wednesday) with gunshot wounds. The 26-year-old is now in custody having been arrested on suspicion of burglary, robbery and attempted murder.

“No reports of a firearm discharge have yet been called in to police, and it is possible that these incidents are not linked, however we must explore every avenue to determine what happened.”

“I would urge anyone with any intel to come forward - your information could be vital. Wednesday’s incidents have rightly caused a great deal of concern across South Yorkshire, and it’s important we work to apprehend anyone involved,” he added.