Update following incidents in Stevenage and Welwyn Hatfield

A man has been charged and two more people have been arrested following an incident in Stevenage and Welwyn Hatfield last week.

Tom Harber, aged 50, of Essendon, has now been charged with attempted murder, possession of a firearms with intent to cause fear/violence, dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision. He appeared at Hatfield Magistrates’ Court this morning where he was remanded into custody ahead of a plea hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday 9 October.

A 25 year old man from Basildon and a 31 year old man from Essendon have now also been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

At around 6.15pm on Wednesday (6 September), two vehicles are understood to have been driving erratically along the A414 from the direction of Essendon towards the A1(M). The vehicles – a green Mercedes and a white flatbed van – then entered onto the motorway at Junction 6 (Welwyn) driving northbound towards Stevenage.

At around 6.30pm, both vehicles exited the motorway at Junction 7 (Stevenage) and the Mercedes was then involved in a collision with a private ambulance on the roundabout above the A1(M). Nobody was injured in the collision.

The Mercedes and van travelled on into Stevenage, along Lytton Way, and past the police station where gunshots were reportedly heard. Lytton Way was subsequently closed to allow a full investigation to be carried out.

One man was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, believed to have been sustained prior to the incident.

Detective Inspector Iain Macpherson, from the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Major Crime Unit, said: “Extensive enquiries are being carried out and I hope that this charge and the arrests are reassuring to the public. Those involved are believed to be known to each other and we do not believe there to be a wider risk to the public.”

“We are continuing to appeal for witnesses, information and dash cam footage and I urge anyone with information to get in touch.

“The green Mercedes remains outstanding and we are particularly keen to hear from anybody who thinks they have seen it. It has a registration ending in WUG. Please do not approach if you do see this vehicle but call 999 immediately.”

You can report information online, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/71924/23.

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form (opens in a new window).