British police have launched a major manhunt for two men who went on the run after being sprung from a prison van this morning.
Ryan MacDonald (20), and Stevie McMullen (31), were freed in Salford, Manchester, by three men - one believed to have been armed - who attacked the van as it made its way to Manchester Crown Court where they were due to be sentenced.
Chief supt Kevin Mulligan told a press conference that both men "represent a risk to the community, in particular Stevie McMullan", urging anyone who saw them to call 999 immediately.
“I am concerned about them being on the loose, they are responsible for some serious offences,” he said.
“I don’t think they pose a risk unless approached so it’s really important that if anyone sees them they contact us straightaway.”
A man and a woman are in custody after being arrested on the Ordsall Estate, where a Saab car used to take the men from the scene was later abandoned, he added.
The van came under attack shortly after 9am on Regent Road, Salford, a main road into Manchester - around half a mile from the city’s crown court and Strangeways prison.
Mr Mulligan said: “To reassure those that live nearby, there is a significant police presence in the area.
“At this stage we do not believe that there is any ongoing threat to the community and we would appeal to anyone who has any information to contact the police as soon as possible.”
The empty van remained at the scene today, surrounded by police vehicles.
Both the driver and passenger side cab windows were smashed and broken glass was strewn across the surrounding road.
There was no other visible damage to the van, located at the side of the main A57 dual carriageway.
White-suited forensic officers joined numerous officers inspecting and guarding the site.
Cordoned off
The A57 has reopened but passing motorists were crawling past the cordoned off scene and traffic was backed up in both directions.
The brazen rush-hour raid took place just off the same stretch of road as a similar previous attack on a prison van.
Liverpool gangsters Tony Downes and Kirk Bradley escaped in the ambush in July 2011 as they were being taken from Strangeways jail to their trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Mobile phone
A Prison Service source suggested the ambush would probably have involved one of the escapees having had access to an illicit smuggled mobile phone. Others could then be alerted to the location of the vehicle the prisoners were being moved in.
The ambushed van was operated by prisoner escort firm GEOAmey and was on its way to a court from privately-run prison, HMP Altcourse, near Liverpool.
Altcourse is run by G4S and was the first designed, constructed, managed and financed private prison in the UK. The Category B jail takes young offenders and adult male prisoners either sentenced or on remand from courts in Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales and can hold up to 1,324 prisoners.
GEOAmey runs around 12,500 prisoner movements a week in its fleet of around 500 purpose-built custodial vehicles, which come in different sizes with either two, four, six and 10 cells.
All of the firm’s vehicles contain closed circuit television (CCTV).
PA