Four Arrested After Two Cars Stolen in Eaton Park Burglary and Police Chase

STOKE-ON-TRENT, Staffordshire — A major early-morning police investigation is underway after two vehicles were stolen from a residential driveway in Stoke-on-Trent, leading to a dramatic police pursuit that ended in a car crash.

Staffordshire Police officers were called to Debenham Crescent, located in the Eaton Park area, shortly after 2:00 a.m. on April 16, 2026. Homeowners reported that two cars had been taken from their driveway under the cover of darkness. Officers immediately began searching the local area for the stolen vehicles.

Stolen Vehicle Spotted and Pursuit

A short time later, police spotted one of the stolen cars—a Kia Picanto—traveling near Biddulph Road in Chell. When officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, the driver failed to stop, triggering a high-speed police chase through local streets. The pursuit came to an abrupt end when the Kia Picanto lost control and crashed into a tree. The occupants of the vehicle fled the scene on foot in an attempt to evade capture.

K9 Unit Deployment and Arrests

To locate the fleeing suspects, Staffordshire Police deployed a specialist police dog unit. The K9 successfully tracked the suspects to a nearby location, leading to the arrest of four individuals:

• A 20-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent, arrested on suspicion of burglary, vehicle theft, dangerous driving, and failing to stop for police.
• Three 16-year-old boys, also from Stoke-on-Trent, arrested on suspicion of burglary, vehicle theft, and dangerous driving.

One of the 16-year-olds has since been released on conditional bail while the police investigation continues. The other three suspects remain in custody for questioning.

Appeal for Witnesses

Staffordshire Police are urging anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who has CCTV, smart doorbell, or dashcam footage of the Eaton Park or Chell areas around the time of the incident, to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to contact the force on 101, quoting incident number 44 of April 16, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.