A driver whose car knocked down two women outside an Oxford nightclub and sped off, leaving them unconscious, was caught after a taxi driver chased him through the city early on July 1.

Taxi driver Darren Emanuel took part in a city centre police chase

Darren Emanuel, a driver with Radio Taxis Oxford, was parked outside The Bridge nightclub, in Hythe Bridge Street, when the women were knocked down just after 2.20am.

Both were lying in the road unconscious when an off-duty West Midlands Police officer, who has not been named, knocked on his cab's window and asked him to follow the car involved in the accident.

They stayed on his trail through the city centre, flashing their headlights to persuade him to stop, for about 20 minutes until he gave himself up in Hernes Road, Summertown.

Police arrested a 19-year-old man from Birmingham for being unfit to drive through drink and drugs and for failing to stop at the scene of a road traffic accident. He was being questioned by officers at St Aldate's police station.

The injured women were taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington. They did not suffer serious injuries and were discharged after treatment.

Mr Emanuel, 26, of Nowell Road, Rose Hill, said he was waiting for a customer when he saw a silver Lexus car hit the women.

He said: "There were a lot of people standing in the road waiting for taxis when suddenly this man knocked over a couple of women. He just drove straight into them and carried on going.

"The next thing, a man who said he was an off-duty police officer came out of the crowd, got into my taxi and said "Follow the car'."

Mr Emanuel, who has been a taxi driver for about a year and a half, said he was still shaken by the incident.

"I still can't believe it," he said. "It was like a kid's dream, with a policeman jumping into your car and saying 'Follow that car'."

Pete Cousin, of Radio Taxis, said the company was impressed by Mr Emanuel's actions.

"Taxi drivers do try to be Good Samaritans, and help the community whenever they can," he said.

Thames Valley Police declined to comment because someone had been arrested in connection with the incident.