A 38-year-old man is due to appear in court today following the incident.
11:24, 27 Aug 2025Updated 11:27, 27 Aug 2025
The car crashed in Gartcosh. (Image: Supplied)
A man was arrested after a high-speed police chase through the plush village of Bothwell.
A suspected stolen car had earlier crashed into an unmarked police vehicle on Old Gartloch Road, in Gartcosh, at 12.30pm on Tuesday afternoon.
Officers were called in to pursue the car, with a fleet of squad cars seen flying through nearby Bothwell in Lanarkshire.
Officers seized the car and a 38-year-old man was arrested in connection with the theft of a vehicle and various road traffic offences.
Shocked residents described the chase as “pure chaos” after the streets filled with marked cars and a police helicopter hovered overhead.
Pictures revealed five police cars parked on the historic village’s main street.
One local: “The police helicopter circled above our flat for about half an hour from round about 1.15pm and our complex had police cars and vans coming in and out at least three times.
“I could also see a couple of police vans with sirens on going past our complex.
“I heard heard one of our neighbours saying ‘something happened over there’ while pointing towards the church.”
Another villager said: “The amount of police in the area was unbelievable. It was chaos.
“Given Bothwell’s recent history with restaurants being firebombed you would have thought it was the start of World War 3.”
The village has been the scene of several firebombings as an apparent vendetta spiralled out of control.
Italian restaurant San Vincenzo was targeted before it was forced to close its doors.
A second venue, Da Luciano, was bulldozed after fire gutted the building in 2023.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.30pm on Tuesday, 26 August, 2025 police received information of a stolen car within the Glasgow area.
“A pursuit ensued and the car collided with an unmarked police car in Old Gartloch Road, Gartcosh.
“The stolen car then made off and was traced in the Bothwell area where it was seized.
“A 38-year-old man was arrested in connection with the theft of a vehicle and various road traffic offences.
“No-one was injured. Enquires are ongoing.”