Gym worker’s late-night date spirals into chaos as police pursuit leaves five squad cars wrecked

A high-speed police pursuit on the A1 involving a personal trainer on a first date ended in a major crash that left five police vehicles damaged and seven officers requiring hospital treatment. Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, admitted at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court to dangerous driving, failing to stop, and driving without a licence or insurance, not only on the night of April 9 but also repeatedly while on bail in the days that followed, as he continued to drive to work at a Newcastle gym despite explicit warnings and bail conditions.
The incident began when officers attempted to stop Azarbonyad’s BMW in Swalwell, Gateshead, due to a defective rear light, but he accelerated away, leading police on a chase that culminated near the Denton roundabout—a location with a tragic history, as it was where Pc David Rathband was shot and blinded in 2010. Azarbonyad, originally from Iran and living in County Durham, was taking a woman home after their first date when the crash occurred. Prosecutor Simon Worthy remarked, “One would have thought as a matter of common sense that having been involved in something of this seriousness, plastered all over the press, the TV, the newspapers, online, that you would have been a bit more sensible about your activities, having been so lucky to get out of an accident only two days before. But no, no, you continue to stick two fingers up.”
On the night of the crash, Azarbonyad slowed down after being surrounded by police, but an unmarked police Volvo—having reached speeds of up to 135mph—collided with his vehicle at around 80mph, triggering a domino effect that involved several other police cars. His passenger, the woman on her first date with him, was in the car at the time. Azarbonyad reportedly told officers his driving had been “sh*t” and admitted to further offences, including driving a Hyundai to work on multiple occasions after the crash.
Jack Lovell, defending, described Azarbonyad as a self-employed personal trainer with no previous convictions, who had shown genuine remorse and made full admissions. Lovell said, “He tells me at that point it is immediate panic,” explaining that Azarbonyad was aware he had no insurance and that his passenger had mentioned being in “possession of cannabis.” Lovell added, “I am not in any way trying to excuse – he should not have been driving the vehicle, it is his driving that has led to the incident on the A. He accepts that by way of his guilty plea.”
Chairman of the Bench Philip Hutchinson granted Azarbonyad conditional bail with a curfew and a ban on driving, pending sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court on May 20. All seven injured officers have since been discharged from hospital, and Northumbria Police confirmed that extensive emergency services responded to the collision, which closed the A1 in both directions and required multiple ambulance crews at the scene. National figures show that police pursuits remain a significant risk on UK roads, with the Independent Offi