This is the astonishing moment a suspect made an audacious attempt to evade police by sprinting along one of the UK’s busiest roads and scaling a towering wall ‘like Spider-Man’.

The dramatic incident unfolded near Chingford on the A406, also known as the North Circular, a major route encircling central London. The suspect, dressed entirely in black, was captured on camera by a passing motorist as he dashed along the left-hand lane of the dual-carriageway at approximately 4.05 pm on Wednesday.

As pursuing officers closed in, the man desperately tried to climb a wall estimated to be around 40 feet high. Remarkably, he managed to scale roughly half its height before becoming trapped as police cars arrived at the scene.

Footage of the escape attempt, shared widely on social media platform X, shows officers urging the suspect to climb back down safely. However, the clip, humorously set to Rascal Flatts’ “Life Is a Highway,” ends abruptly without showing the immediate outcome.

Another video, however, soon surfaced online, capturing the chaotic aftermath. In this footage, the man loses his grip, falling dramatically onto an unsuspecting police officer below. Several officers quickly move in, attending both to the fallen suspect and their injured colleague, who appeared to be in significant discomfort from absorbing the impact.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the suspect was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving offences and remains in custody. The officer involved reportedly sustained injuries but was treated at the scene.

Social media users quickly seized upon the dramatic nature of the event, humorously comparing the man’s climbing skills to the Marvel superhero Spider-Man. “Telling my kids this was Spider-Man,” joked one user, while another quipped, “Must’ve missed this scene in Spider-Man.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “At around 16:05hrs on Wednesday, 12 March, police attempted to stop a vehicle on the A406 in Chingford. The vehicle failed to stop, leading to a pursuit. After stopping near Crooked Billet, the driver attempted to flee on foot, resulting in a fall from a wall. The suspect was arrested at the scene, and the road was partially closed during the incident.”