Man charged after trying to drive over Peel police cars
Accused, 25, now faces several charges after incident at Westwood Square
A 25-year-old man is facing multiple charges after trying to drive over police cars in an allegedly stolen vehicle, police say, in an incident widely shared on social media after it took place in Mississauga Tuesday.
It happened just after 6:30 p.m. at Westwood Square near Goreway Drive and Etude Drive, Const. Nikhil Chakravarthy told CBC News in an interview.
"This was a very dynamic situation," Chakravarthy said. "There was a serious potential for not only passersby but officers and the individual himself to get injured seriously from his behaviour.
"Really, it's unbelievable that the officers were able to resolve this incident without anyone sustaining any injuries," he said — though a police news release issued Wednesday afternoon said the accused in the case suffered minor injuries.
Police were first called to the area after receiving reports that a person in possession of weapons and driving a Ford Bronco had returned to that location after stealing from a nearby store a few weeks ago.
Officers found the SUV at a Tim Horton's drive-thru and determined that it had been stolen in London, Ont., Chakravarthy said. Police cars surrounded the vehicle to stop the driver from taking off — and numerous videos shot at the scene posted on social media show him then trying to get away.
"Our officers managed to pin the vehicle in to prevent the driver from fleeing, but as you can see in the now-viral videos, the driver tries desperately to break free — and at one point even mounts the front end of one of the cruisers," Chakravarthy said.
Witness David Porca told CBC News that he was pulling into the parking lot around that time and saw the SUV on top of one of the police vehicles.
"He was trying to get away — going reverse ... driving, smashed one of the cars in the back," he said.
The man then tried to get out through the passenger side window of the SUV, Porca said, before one officer fired a Taser at him.
"They blocked him in properly … they did a good job doing that," he said. "I'd never seen anything like that."
Steven Summerville, a former staff sergeant with Toronto police and a former staff instructor at the Ontario Police College, lauded the way the officers involved handled the situation, preventing injuries or the prospect of a high-speed chase.
"They stopped this situation before it could start … that's bang right on," Summerville said.
A 25-year-old Brampton man was charged with three counts of possessing property obtained by crime, flight from and obstruction of a peace officer and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
He was held for a bail hearing.
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With files from Dale Manucdoc