A danger driver is behind bars after smashing his car into a takeaway and fleeing in a taxi.
Anthony Richmond, 33, smashed his Renault Clio through the front window of Barnes Grill and Pizzeria, in Sunderland , after driving off from a separate collision with a car shortly before.
He fled the scene and walked to a nearby address before jumping in a taxi.
However, his movements were tracked by members of the public who witnessed Richmond’s erratic behaviour and subsequently informed police of his whereabouts.
Richmond, of no fixed abode, was charged with a string of driving offences including dangerous driving, failing to stop after an accident and driving without insurance.
On Monday, he was jailed for 16 months and disqualified from driving for three years by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to all offences.
PC Graham Fisher, of Northumbria Police , said: “It is incredibly lucky that nobody was seriously injured as a result of Anthony Richmond’s actions that night.
“He was initially involved in a minor collision at traffic lights on the A183 and drove away from the scene without exchanging details or contacting police.
“A short time later, he smashed the same car through the front window of a takeaway. Had customers have been inside, his dangerous driving could have easily led to a fatality.
“However, in a bid for freedom, Richmond then made off from the scene into an address nearby, and later jumped in a taxi.
"However, he did not realise that witnesses to the incident had been following his movements, and they had in turn passed the information to police.
“I would like to thank the members of the public who contacted police on the evening in question and passed on information to officers, which assisted in his swift arrest.
“There can be little doubt that the region’s roads are safer without Richmond driving on them.
“We make no apology for our zero-tolerance approach to this kind of criminality, and we will continue to pursue those who break the law and endanger others while behind the wheel of a car."
Upon arrest, Richmond did not cooperate with police and refused to answer any questions in relation to the incidents.
However, at a hearing on June 4, Richmond pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving, driving without a licence, no insurance use, failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident and failing to provide specimen for analysis.
On Monday, he was jailed for 16 months and banned from driving until 2022.
