(Image: Cleveland Police)
A driver who crashed into a bus late at night has been jailed for 12 months.
Vandam Damzi, 29, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday, September 29, after being arrested by Matrix officers in Middlesbrough following the collision.
The incident took place on January 11, 2026, at about 11.30pm on Cumberland Road.
CCTV footage showed Damzi overtaking another vehicle at speed in a BMW on Linthorpe Road, at the junction with Chipchase Road, before the crash.
He fled the scene but was later arrested following police enquiries.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.
Damzi was charged with dangerous driving, failing to stop after a road accident, and driving a motor vehicle otherwise in accordance with a licence.
He failed to appear in court and was later detained in the Ipswich area by police after he was arrested in connection with an unrelated drugs offence.
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Sergeant Chris Lindsey said: "Vandam Damzi put innocent members of the public at risk by driving recklessly in a busy town centre area which will, at that time of night, have been busy with members of the public around at the numerous businesses open, including pubs and bars.
"To drive dangerously then collide with a bus, which could have had potentially injured people on board, and then run away from the scene is staggering.
"I am pleased that Damzi has now been put before the courts and is rightly facing the consequences of his actions."