Police officer dragged into speeding car tells STV News he was 'certain he was going to die'

A police officer who was dragged into a speeding car and then thrown onto the road at up to 50mph has told STV News he was “certain” he was going to die.

PC Mark Smith suffered a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury when he was pulled into an Audi in Hamilton, Lanarkshire in August 2024, before falling from the vehicle at speed.

On Monday, Douglas Mills Snr, 58, and his 32-year-old son Douglas Mills Jnr, were jailed for 17 years each at the High Court in Glasgow for the attempted murder of PC Smith.

Following their sentencing, PC Smith has spoken exclusively to STV News’ chief correspondent Sharon Frew for the first time about the incident and the long road to recovery that has followed.

Recalling the moments before the attack, he said he had no doubt the driver knew he was a police officer.

Glasgow & West

Father and son jailed after PC pulled into speeding Audi in murder bid

Douglas Mills and his son, Douglas Mills jnr, left PC Mark Smith fighting for his life after he fell from the speeding vehicle

“I had met him before, a couple of weeks beforehand, in relation to another matter,” he said.

“When I approached the car, I identified myself as a police officer, and he made a remark to the effect that he recognised who I was.

“At the time, I had no doubt that the driver was aware of who I was and aware that I was a police officer.”

The officer described how events unfolded within seconds.

“It was all very fast,” he said.

“As soon as I’d leaned into the car and announced myself as a police officer, before I’d had much chance to do anything else, I was grabbed, lifted off my feet and pulled into the car.

“The car immediately sped off onto the road. It was an Audi, so it’s quite a high-powered car.”

PC Mark Smith has been left scarred for life following the murder bid STV News

While trapped inside the vehicle, he said he was repeatedly struck on the head.

“It’s hard to describe what happened after that. It was a bit of a blur between me trying to get them to stop the car and trying to protect myself from the blows that were coming to my head.”

He said he remembers looking at the speedometer and seeing the vehicle accelerate from 30mph to 50mph before he was forced from the car.

“All I could think about was that this car was going at high speed,” he said.

“As I was being pushed out of the car, I tried my very best to grab onto something, just something to secure myself. I wasn’t able to do that. The last thing I really remember is being outside the car. Everything went black after that.”

PC Smith, who still hasn’t returned to work following the incident two years ago, says he feared for his life: “I knew how fast the car was going. I was in plain clothes, so we don’t wear any protective equipment, body armour or anything like that.

“The car was going 50 miles an hour and I was coming out of it. In my head, I was certain that I was going to die. I didn’t see any way that that would end well for me.”

The next thing he remembers is waking up in the back of an ambulance.

“I had no idea why I was there,” he said.

“I remember a pain in the back of my head that I can’t describe. I remember looking down and seeing quite a lot of my body covered in blood. I hadn’t put two and two together as to what had happened while I’d been unconscious.”

The officer said the incident occurred while carrying out what would normally be considered routine police work.

“On a normal day, we could approach a car anywhere up to five to ten times,” he said, “It’s one of the most routine things we do, to speak to drivers or search vehicles.”

Reflecting on the attack, he believes there were many opportunities for the occupants of the vehicle to escape without causing such devastating injuries.

“From my point of view, they could have stopped the car, pushed me out and then driven away. They could have not pulled me into the car.

“There were many other things they could have done to get away from us.”

‘I will probably never be the same’

Nearly two years on, he is still living with the consequences.

“I’m still recovering and I think I always will be. It’s taken me a long time to accept that I probably will never be the same as what I was before.”

The most significant injuries were a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury, but he says the lasting impact has gone far beyond the physical wounds.

“The mental recovery is what’s had the lasting impact,” he said. “There are still physical symptoms, but traumatic brain injuries are something I had very limited knowledge of before this and I’ve come to learn just how difficult they can be.”

He now has to carefully plan his day around limited energy levels and suffers from sensory overload in busy environments.

PC Mark Smith fears he may never be the same again Police Scotland

“I don’t want to go to a supermarket on a Friday when it’s busy. I don’t want to go to a shopping centre that will be busy. I want to go places that I know will be quiet. Simple things in life become a plan of how can we make this work.”

The PC also lost a large percentage of the skin from his back after landing on the road and is on a waiting list for ankle ligament reconstruction.

Despite the challenges, the officer remains determined to return to policing.

“I fully intend on getting myself back to work,” PC Smith says.

“I’m aware that I won’t be going back to doing what I was doing. I loved my job and what I did. I’ve now been off work for two years. I’ve had to reset those plans.”

The officer said medical staff involved in his treatment have repeatedly told him how fortunate he is to be alive.

“Every one of them has said it’s a miracle that I’ve survived and recovered as well as I have.

“I do have days where it’s harder than others, but I try and remind myself I’m very lucky to still be here.

“With that in mind, I want to try and make the most of what I’m do with my career and what I’m doing with my life.”

‘Murderous attack’

Following the conviction of the father and son duo, PC Smith hopes the case sends a message about the consequences of violence against emergency workers.

“What happened didn’t need to happen,” he said.

“I think it’s reassuring to know that if these things happen there will be consequences.

“My main hope is that that sends a message that these kinds of things won’t be tolerated and can hopefully stop anything like this happening to anybody in the future.”

At the High Court in Glasgow on Monday, Judge William Gallacher told Mills Jnr and Snr that they had “engaged in a murderous attack” that left the officer with “irreversible injuries which will have a substantial long-term effect on him to carry out normal activities.”

He added: “This was a concerted conjoint attack with each of you doing separate things, and in all the circumstances, I see no reason to distinguish the penalties upon you.”

The judge also imposed indefinite non-harassment orders prohibiting the pair from contacting PC Smith in any way.