Video shows shocking moment driver crashes car through a Sunderland takeaway window

Anthony Richmond, had collided with another car shortly before flying into Barnes Grill and Pizzeria, on Silksworth Road, on the evening of May 5. He then fled the scene and walked to a nearby address before jumping in to a taxi.

However, his movements were tracked by alert members of the public who witnessed Richmond’s erratic behaviour and subsequently informed police of his whereabouts.

Richmond, of no fixed abode, was charged with a string of driving offences including dangerous driving, driving without a licence, no insurance use, failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

On Monday, July 1, the 33-year old was jailed for 16 months and disqualified from driving for three years by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to all offences.

PC Graham Fisher, of Northumbria Police, said: “It is incredibly lucky that nobody was seriously injured as a result of Anthony Richmond’s actions that night.

“He was initially involved in a minor collision at traffic lights on the A183 and drove away from the scene without exchanging details or contacting police.

“A short time later, he smashed the same car through the front window of a takeaway. Had customers have been inside, his dangerous driving could have easily led to a fatality.

“However, in a bid for freedom, Richmond then made off from the scene into an address nearby, and later jumped in a taxi. However, he did not realise that witnesses to the incident had been following his movements, and they had in turn passed the information to police.

“I would like to thank the members of the public who contacted police on the evening in question and passed on information to officers, which assisted in his swift arrest.

“We make no apology for our zero-tolerance approach to this kind of criminality, and we will continue to pursue those who break the law and endanger others while behind the wheel of a car."