Man charged following police chase car crash on M4
A 37-year-old man has been charged following a police chase that resulted in a crash on the M4.
Officers had been in pursuit of a man driving a black Audi Q3 following a burglary in Pengam, south Wales, at about 01:45 BST on Tuesday.
At 02:50 the vehicle was involved in a crash on the eastbound exit slip road at junction 17 for Chippenham, Wiltshire.
A man from London was arrested at the scene and charged with driving a motor vehicle dangerously, possession of a firearm and going equipped for burglary. Gwent Police said he had been released under investigation.
More news stories for Wiltshire
Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire
Police said a man who was assaulted during the burglary in Pengam was taken to hospital but had since been discharged.
Det Supt Steven Maloney said: "Our investigation into these matters continues and we're keen to identify the other two men reportedly involved in the burglary.
"If you know who they are, then I would urge you to get it touch with us.
"We understand that the collision which followed the reported burglary caused a significant impact to many motorists, so I'm grateful to the public for their patience and understanding as officers carried out their enquiries."
Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
San Antonio police were 'premature' in saying Jonathan Joss's murder wasn't a hate crime, police chief says
San Antonio's chief of police is walking back his department's previous claims that there was "no evidence" to suggest Jonathan Joss's death was a hate crime — instead saying that the assertion was "way premature." Police Chief William McManus rescinded the department's previous statement at a press conference Thursday while also apologizing to the LGBTQ+ community for dismissing their concerns. "We issued a statement the day after Jonathan Joss's murder that was way, way, way premature. Shouldn't have done it," he said. "It was way too soon before we had any real information, and I will own that and simply say we shouldn't have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued." "We understand that many in the LBGTQ+ [sic] community are feeling anxious and concerned," McManus continued. "A lot of that has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that. We shouldn't have done it. The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and most heavily felt by the LBGTQ+ [sic] community." Joss, 59, was an out Indigenous actor known for his roles in comedies such as King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation. He had married his partner, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, just a few months ago on Valentine's Day. The couple had been living in Joss's childhood home for at least two years before it burned down in January. Kern de Gonzales revealed in a Facebook post that he and Joss were "involved in a shooting" when they returned to the site of their former home to check the mail. He claimed that the fire and the shooting occurred "after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire" and that despite reporting the threats to law enforcement multiple times, "nothing was done." Jonathan Joss "When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view," Kern de Gonzales wrote. "This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw. While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired." Kern de Gonzales asserted in his Facebook post that throughout their time living at Joss's family home as a couple, they "were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic." He later claimed in an interview with NBC that the accused killer, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, called him and his husband "jotos," a Spanish slur for gay people, before shooting Joss. "He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other," he said in his post. The San Antonio Police Department released a statement shortly after Joss's death claiming that it had uncovered "no evidence" to suggest that the killing was a hate crime, which Kern de Gonzales' statement contested. "SAPD Homicide is currently investigating the murder of Mr. Jonathan Joss," the department wrote. "Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation." After retracting their previous statement at the Thursday press conference, McManus clarified that the police department doesn't charge hate crimes in Texas. Instead, they "gather the facts and we give those facts to the district attorney's office, then that hate-crime designation is determined at sentencing." "There's also concern about the circumstances surrounding that death and the history in the neighborhood leading up to that," McManus said. "One of the most common questions that we've received is why this case isn't being charged as a hate crime at this point. ... In Texas, hate crimes are not separate charges. Instead, they are addressed through sentencing enhancements." "Our homicide detectives are continuing to pursue every lead in the case to ensure that we understand the full picture of what led up to the senseless murder of Mr. Joss," he added. "We're committed to delivering a thorough and complete investigation."
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
San Antonio police backpedal on initial claim that Jonathan Joss' murder was not an anti-LGBT hate crime
Less than a week after the San Antonio Police Department insisted there was 'no evidence whatsoever' of homophobia in the June 1 shooting death of former King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss, the city's top cop walked back that claim as 'way, way, way premature.' 'We shouldn't have done it,' SAPD Chief William McManus said at a Thursday press conference. 'It was way too soon, before we had any real information, and I will own that.' 'We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned,' McManus added. 'A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that shouldn't have done it. The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and most, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community.' Last Sunday, as Joss, 59, and husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales drove to San Antonio from Austin, where they had recently been living, to check the mail at what remains of their home, which burned down in January. (Kern de Gonzalez said he is certain the blaze was arson. Authorities, on the other hand, have said the cause remains undetermined.) When they got there, the pair was shocked to find the charred skull of one of their three dogs, which had perished in the blaze, placed on the ground 'in clear view,' according to Kern de Gonzales. The two began crying and screaming, leading to the deadly confrontation with neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, he said. In announcing Joss' death on social media, Kern de Gonzales, 23, said there was no doubt the deadly attack was a hate crime. The 59-year-old Ceja, Kern de Gonzales wrote in a Facebook post, 'was someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.' Still, the SAPD issued a statement a day later saying investigators had found nothing 'to indicate that Mr. Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation.' 'We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information,' the statement said. 'Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly.' However, Kern de Gonzales subsequently told The Independent that Ceja laughed and spewed homophobic slurs as Joss lay dying. 'Everything was really close range. It was in the head,' Kern de Gonzales said. 'I held his face together while I told him how much I loved him. He could still hear me, he looked up at me and he wasn't able to talk because of the extent [of his injuries], but I could tell he was trying to say, 'I love you.'' This, according to Kern de Gonzales, prompted Ceja to unleash a vile anti-LGBT tirade. 'While I'm holding him, he has the gun pointed over me, and he's laughing, saying, 'Oh, you love him? Joto,'' said Kern de Gonzales, who grew up in South Carolina. ''Joto' is Spanish for f****t. I never knew the word until I came to Texas, and then I heard it a lot.' Joss was pronounced dead at the scene. Ceja, according to an incident report obtained from the SAPD, quickly confessed, telling police, 'I shot him.' Some 48 hours following the shooting, Ceja, who now faces a first-degree murder charge, was released from jail on $200,000 bond. He will remain under house arrest, two doors down from where Joss was gunned down, pending trial. In a follow-up interview with The Independent after Ceja bailed out, Kern de Gonzales said he was not surprised by the turn of events and railed against the SAPD for not having better protected Joss. He said the couple, who married this past Valentine's Day, had lodged dozens of complaints about alleged harassment and threats from Ceja and other nearby residents, to little effect. Joss had also been the subject of complaints to police by neighbors, who called the cops on the actor more than 50 times in the past year, according to SAPD incident logs. However, while Joss may have at times annoyed people by 'ranting and raving' in public, Kern de Gonzales said he suffered at times from mental illness but insisted he was never a danger to himself or anyone else. 'I've been in mental health crisis and acted just as Jonathan did, even worse,' he said. 'The difference was, I was given medical attention and was treated as someone who needed help instead of being seen as a violent threat. Jonathan was never violent, he never went after anybody or threatened anybody's person.' Joss, who was of Comanche and White Mountain Apache descent, was best known for voicing the part of John Redcorn in the animated series King of the Hill. He also appeared in a recurring role as Chief Ken Hotate on the NBC series Parks and Recreation. Ceja 'thought he would silence [Joss] and get rid of him, but all he did was make him more powerful,' Kern de Gonzales said. Now, he continued, Joss will instead 'be remembered as a martyr and a legend' among many in the LGBT and Native American communities. Ceja is due back in court on August 19. His court-appointed lawyer, Alfonso Otero, did not respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Flags at half-staff in NY today: Here's why
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced flags on all state government buildings will be flown at half-staff Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 in honor of a state highway worker who died last week. New York State Department of Transportation Highway Maintenance Supervisor Robert Bornt died May 30 after suffering catastrophic injuries related to a work zone intrusion in Pittstown, located just northeast of Albany, last week, according to Hochul. "The entire NYSDOT family is grieving over the death of Highway Supervisor Robert Bornt, who spent his entire life in the service of others, protecting the traveling public through his work at the NYS Department of Transportation and making his community a better place through his dedicated work at the Hoosick Falls Fire Department," NYSDOT commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said in a written statement Thursday. A Hoosick Falls resident, Bornt, 54, was a member of the Hoosick Falls Fire Department for 27 years, including his most recent position of fire chief, a member of the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad for over 25 years and the CSEA regional union president, according to his obituary. "Whether responding to calls or offering his knowledge and steadfast support, (Bornt) was always ready to lend a helping hand," the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad said in a May 31 Facebook post. "His commitment, generosity and service to our community left a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of working alongside him." When he wasn't on duty, Bornt spent time coaching softball, hunting, riding snowmobiles and spending time with his grandson, Bentley. Bornt is survived by his grandson, wife, Sabrina Bornt, his mother, Patricia Bornt, children Charles Hodge Bornt and Allyson Bornt, sister, Julie Bryant and several other family members. Emily Barnes on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network's New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Flags at half-staff in NY today: Here's why
