Bravery Awards: cop hit by car chases down offender

21 January 2025

‘I was just doing my job’ says the winner of a West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Award as he praised the everyday heroism of his colleagues.

PC Josh Gorman overcame whiplash injuries and concussion following a high-speed collision to arrest a man suspected of stealing cars in Dudley.

Josh had taken off his seatbelt, ready to pursue the suspect on foot, was first thrown into the windscreen after the police vehicle he was in was struck at around 80mph by a stolen Jaguar he and his colleague, PC Jo Prejbeanu, were pursuing.

He was then thrown into the back of the vehicle.

PC Josh Gorman.

Josh said that as he was getting his bearings from the collision, he noticed the door of the Jaguar was starting to open.

He said: “In my head, I thought if that person gets away now, we're never going to catch them.

“I just put myself to one side for a second. The adrenaline was pumping.

“I opened my door, climbed out of the back seat and chased after him and caught him at the car arrested him.”

Whiplash

Josh suffered whiplash, concussion, and a bloodied nose in the collision. His colleague Jo broke a finger when the airbag went off.

Now Josh has been awarded the branch’s Bravery Award for Dudley for his actions on Monday 27 May, 2024. The award is sponsored by Anns & Grange Associates.

He said: “It’s fantastic to get the award, but I wouldn’t say I deserve it. It’s a case that I was doing my job.

“Anybody else would have done the same thing in my situation but, at the same time, the person who stole that car could have then gone on to kill somebody because of how reckless he was in his driving.”

And he paid tribute to Jo, saying the situation could have ended differently if it was not for her driving skills.

He said: “I look back at the incident and think how lucky I was to get out with so few injuries.

“When that car was coming at me at about 80 miles an hour, and because I'm in the passenger seat and I've got no control over our vehicle, my life is in Jo's hands.

Nominated

“If it wasn't for her turning the car away and, being pursuits trained, knowing where the strongest point of the car is, I could have gone completely through the windshield, and I could have lost my life that day.

“It really brings home like the severity of the situation and how officers on a daily basis are putting their lives on the line.”

Josh was nominated for the award by Sergeant Matt Ingram.

His citation said: “This is for your exceptional bravery shown when, while in the process of searching for a stolen Jaguar, and your police vehicle having been struck with tremendous force, such as to write off both vehicles, you maintained your composure despite injuries to immediately pursue, apprehend and detain the criminal who was escaping, ensuring the thief was promptly brought to justice.”

The officers will receive their award at the West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Awards, which are sponsored by Slater and Gordon lawyers.

The awards will be held in Birmingham on Thursday 30 January.