THIS is the moment cops ram into the car of a runaway lag as he desperately tries to get away after more than three weeks on the run.
Sonny Loveridge, 28, deliberately drove into a vehicle and smashed into a member of the public’s car in the bid to escape.
The convict was jailed in 2024 after attempting to rob a village shop before causing a crash that killed his 36-year-old accomplice, John Hayden.
Described by cops as a “dangerous individual,” he failed to return to HMP Hollesley Bay on May 20 while on temporary release, leaving at large for more than three weeks.
He was eventually spotted behind the wheel of a silver Golf near Fordham on June 11.
When officers tried to stop him, Loveridge refused to pull over and instead drove dangerously in a bid to escape.
He deliberately rammed a vehicle before colliding with another car, putting officers and other road users at significant risk.
Specially trained officers used tactical measures to safely bring the to a stop.
Body cam footage then showed officers smashing in the windows of the vehicle – revealing Loveridge inside with hands raised.
Loveridge – who was disqualified from driving and had no valid – was arrested for absconding from and driving offences.
He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was sentenced to 20 months in at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday.
As well as the sentence, Loveridge was also banned from driving for 28 months and ordered to take an extended re-test.
Sergeant George Laflin of the Sentinel West Team said: “This was an outstanding team effort and demonstrates the professionalism, coordination and rapid decision making required by officers when dealing with high-risk situations.
“The overwhelming evidence that was secured on the night resulted in a guilty plea being entered at the earliest opportunity.
“This arrest highlights our ability to work effectively across force boundaries and reinforces our commitment to proactively policing the road network to identify, disrupt and bring high-harm offenders to justice.”
“I would also like to thank members of the public who provided information that contributed to Loveridge’s arrest and conviction.
“Community intelligence remains vital in helping us those involved in serious criminality and ensuring offenders are held accountable for their actions.”
Loveridge, of Wilburton, Cambridge, is already serving an 11-year-and-eight-month sentence for serious offences including robbery and causing death by dangerous driving.
His original sentence was imposed in 2024 after driving during the attempted robbery and crash which killed his accomplice Hayden.
said Loveridge had driven a silver Focus to the One Stop on Park Road in Manea, Cambridgeshire, on 22 October 2023.
Hayden entered holding a metal bar, but the shopkeeper locked himself and his mother behind the tills and denied handing over any , cops said.
Hayden left empty-handed and the victims were uninjured but shaken.
Loveridge drove off with Hayden but crashed the Focus into a ditch in Byall Fen Drove, near Chatteris.
Loveridge was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
said he was found to be over the legal drink-drive limit – and his car had cloned .
They said he also admitted a robbery at a shop in Wickhambrook, Suffolk, in February 2023.
At the time, Detective Con Wise said: “Loveridge is a dangerous individual who had already carried out a violent robbery before attempting to rob the shop in Manea.
“Not only this, he drove after drinking and killed his accomplice, so I’m glad he’s been jailed for a long time.”
