A Felixstowe pizza delivery driver was chased round his car by a youth firing ball bearings from a catapult, a court has heard.

The driver was sitting in his car outside Domino’s Pizza in Felixstowe in October at 8pm when two males approached the car and one of them snatched the keys through a window, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The driver chased after the youths, but then decided against it and returned to Domino’s where he spoke to members of the public who had witnessed the incident, said Joanne Eley, prosecuting.

At 8.50pm the youths returned to the vehicle where the driver was standing by the door and the 16-year-old was seen holding a catapult and pulling it back and releasing it.

“At one point he chased the owner of the vehicle round the car using the catapult,” said Miss Eley.

The other male then got into the driver’s seat of the car while the 16-year-old got into the passenger seat further along the road.

The car was then driven round Felixstowe at speeds of up to 90 mph and went through red traffic lights.

It travelled along Manor Road and into a car park in Manor Terrace where the driver lost control causing the car to slide sideways hitting a traffic island and a kerb.

The car was chased by officers in a marked police car who activated the siren and flashing lights and when the police car tried to stop the vehicle containing the teenagers, the driver rammed the side of the police car at 30-40 mph.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, admitted allowing himself to be carried as a passenger during aggravated vehicle taking and possessing an offensive weapon.

He was given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order, 180 hours unpaid work and a three month curfew.

Judge John Devaux said the youth had used the catapult to fire ball bearings.

Joe Bir, for the teenager, said his client had played a secondary role in the incident and the catapult was brought along by his co-defendant.

He said his client had not known the dangerous driving was going to happen when he got into the car.