Moment drug-driver leads police on 140mph chase before BMW crashes into roundabout and somersaults through the air

Published: 01:51, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 01:57, 21 April 2026 A drug driver who led police on a 140mph chase crashed into a roundabout and sent his BMW somersaulting into the air after leading police on a high-speed chase. Ashley Parr, 35, tried to evade officers on the A64 near York on July 21 last year. Police received reports of dangerous driving and caught up with Parr as he headed home to Leeds. After activating the blue lights, Parr failed to stop and sped off to try to escape the officers. He accelerated to speeds of 130mph on the A64 and reached 140mph on the M1. However, he came to a halt when he struck a roundabout and sent his car flying into the air and spinning as it hit the ground.  Parr, a site manager of a housing development, later admitted dangerous driving, drug-driving and drink driving. Video footage showed the moment Parr struck the roundabout after travelling at speeds of up to 140mph The car was sent flying into the air and rolled as it hit the ground before coming to rest in a roadside hedge Parr later admitted dangerous driving, drug-driving and drink driving and was sentenced to 16 months in prison At York Crown Court on Monday, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison and banned from driving for three years and eight months.  Police were first alerted to Parr's erratic driving at 9.10pm, when a member of the public reported him driving dangerously in the Garrowby Hill area on the A166. Checks showed the BMW 3 Series was registered to an address in Leeds.  Anticipating the vehicle would head towards Leeds, officers plotted its likely route along the A64 westbound. Traffic Constable Nick Simpson positioned himself at the A64 Fulford Interchange. Just minutes later, the BMW flew past his location and TC Simpson made chase.  After noticing its erratic driving, he decided the safest option was to stop the vehicle as soon as possible. After activating blue lights, the BMW initially slowed and moved into lane one but then made a sudden manoeuvre across the hatched markings and continued along the A64 towards junction 44 of the A1. The driver failed to stop, reaching speeds of 130mph on the A64 before striking the roundabout it at speed and becoming airborne.  The BMW rolled several times before coming to rest in a roadside hedge. Following Parr's sentencing, TC Simpson from North Yorkshire Police said: 'This was extremely dangerous driving that could easily have resulted in the death of other road users, as well as the driver himself. 'We are relentless in our approach to making North Yorkshire's roads safer for everyone. Removing individuals who drive in this manner sends a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated. 'I would also like to thank the member of the public who reported this driver. If you witness driving that poses an immediate danger to others, please call 999.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.