Police suspect a stolen car was used to drive through a Christmas market. Three teenagers were arrested following an incident in Congleton town centre, Cheshire, on Saturday.
The driver of a silver Volkswagen Golf was asked to pull over on Mountbatten Way, Congleton, at just before 4pm.
Police say they “failed to stop” and instead turned into Market Street.
The car drove down the pedestrianized area of Bridge Street after making a move from police officers.
A market was taking place on the street at the time.
A statement from Cheshire Police has since noted that the car was understood to have been stolen.
This read: “The three suspects, two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl, were all arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and dangerous driving.”
It added: “The incident caused alarm and distress to shoppers, but fortunately there were no injuries.
“Officers quickly attended and three people were arrested nearby.”
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Commenting on the incident, Inspector Jim Adams of Congleton Local Policing Unit said: “I understand the concern that this incident is likely to have caused in the local and I would like to reassure residents that this is not being treated as a terrorist incident.
“We will continue to have increased patrols in the area and I would urge anyone with any concerns to speak to an officer.
“The three teenagers who were arrested in relation to the incident have now been released on conditional bail while we conduct further enquiries.
“As part of our investigation we would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident and saw the occupants fleeing the vehicle.
“The same goes for anyone with any CCTV or video footage of the incident.”