Police are looking for a man who gave them the slip following a high speed car chase which began in Belgium and ended in Amsterdam on Monday evening.

The incident unfolded when Belgian police received a report about a stolen BMW which had subsequently crossed the border and was spotted on the A2 amid Monday’s evening rush hour traffic.

Dutch police then gave chase, with the driver of the stolen car changing cars twice. In Geldermalsen he forced a driver out of his car before speeding off in it, police spokesman Thomas Aling told the AD.

The man then drove from Utrecht to Amsterdam, where he again changed cars to drive to the Osdorp area where he abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. Despite the deployment of two police helicopters and a large police search party the man could not be found.

“We are continuing our investigations into the identity of the and will do out utmost to find him,’ Aling said.