Six teenage boys have been arrested after a police officer was hit by a car while investigating a suspected burglary in Sunderland.
Northumbria Police said they received a report of a suspected burglary from an address in the Burdon area of the city at 6.45am.
It was reported that a car had been stolen and driven into the Durham force’s area.
The vehicle was spotted parked on Cooperative Terrace in Sunderland just after 8.30am.
Police said when an officer approached on foot and attempted to secure the stolen vehicle, it drove away, hitting another parked car and injured the officer.
The Durham Constabulary officer was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after the incident on Wednesday morning.
Six boys – aged between 13 and 17 – have been arrested in connection with the report and are in police custody.
The road is currently closed to traffic and officers are expected to remain on scene for a number of hours.
Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney, of Northumbria Police, said: “Firstly, we’d like to extend our thoughts to the officer from our neighbouring police force who has been injured in this incident.
“Police officers attend work with the sole intention to help people – not to be hurt in the line of duty.
“We wish this officer a speedy recovery and we’d like to thank him and his colleagues for their assistance with the response to the initial report.
“Our investigation remains at an early stage, however we already have got six suspects in custody.
“We’re aware this incident will have caused concern and disruption in the local community.
“As this is a live investigation, we ask the public not to speculate on the circumstances or comment on social media.
“Officers will remain in the area, and we would ask anyone with further concerns, or information to report, including CCTV, dashcam, or mobile phone footage, to get in touch with us.”
Assistant Chief Constable Richie Allen, from Durham Constabulary, said: “Our thoughts are with the officer who sustained injuries during the incident.
“Thankfully, he has since been discharged from hospital and we wish him a speedy recovery.”
