Durham Man Pleads Guilty After A1 Police Crash

Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after crashing his BMW into five police vehicles during a chase on the A1 near Newcastle, which hospitalized seven officers with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash occurred early on April 9 while Azarbonyad was taking a woman home from their first date, causing major road closures and disruption near Newcastle airport. He also admitted to driving without insurance and a license on several occasions, including after his arrest and in breach of bail conditions. The woman who was with him was initially arrested but released with no further action regarding the driving incident, though she is still under investigation for suspected drug possession. All officers have since been discharged from hospital. Authorities described the crash as one of the most significant police vehicle incidents in the area in recent years.