Woman, 4 children hurt after crash in Mississauga, police say

A woman and four children are injured after two vehicles collided in Mississauga on Thursday, Peel Regional Police say.

Const.  Tyler Bell-Morena, spokesperson for Peel police, said police initially received reports about an attempted armed carjacking at about 3:55 p.m. at a fitness centre near Highway 403 and Winston Churchill Boulevard.

Then shortly after 4 p.m., he said police received calls about a crash involving a black Range Rover and a red Honda Civic in the area of Ninth Line Road and Erin Centre Boulevard.

Two people in the Range Rover were seen fleeing the area on foot, he said.

Bell-Morena said police believe the incidents are connected but that there was no carjacking.

He said police believe there was an interaction between the people in the Range Rover and one or more vehicles at the fitness centre and that the Range Rover may have been followed several vehicles in the moments leading up to the crash.

The woman and one of the children remained in life-threatening condition on Thursday night, while the other three children were listed as in stable condition, according to police. The children range in age from nine to 15 years old.

Two of the children are believed to be related to the woman while the other two are friends, police say.

The men who fled from the Range Rover were described as young adults, police say. One had long black hair, wearing a white shirt with black plants. The other was wearing a black shirt and black shorts. Both were seen running north.

Bell-Morena said a firearm may have been seen at the first location.

Ninth Line was closed in both directions on Thursday night between Candlelight and Janice drives as police investigated.