ONTARIO, CANADA - Authorities have announced the arrest of a 25-year-old man after he tried to drive over police cars in an allegedly stolen Ford Bronco on Tuesday, September 3rd, in Mississauga. He has been charged with three counts of possessing property obtained by crime, flight from and obstruction of a peace officer, and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
According to CBC, the incident happened just after 6:30 p.m. at Westwood Square. Nikhi Chakravarthy said in a statement, "This was a very dynamic situation. There was serious potential for not only passersby, but officers and the individual himself to get injured seriously from his behavior."
He added, "Really, it's unbelievable that the officers were able to resolve this incident without anyone sustaining any injuries." However, the police news release the day after the incident stated that the accused suspect did suffer minor injuries.
Police were initially 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 prior. Upon arriving on scene, officers found the SUV at a Tim Horton's drive-thru and determined that the vehicle had been stolen in London, Ontario. Police then surrounded the vehicle to stop the driver from taking off.
That, however, did not work out as planned because videos and photos of the scene posted to social media show him trying to get away.
Chakravarthy said, "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."
David Porca, a witness to the incident, said that he was pulling into the parking lot around that time and saw the SUV on top of one of the police cruisers. He said, "He was trying to get away, going reverse and driving. Smashed one of the cars in the back." Porca said that the man then tried to get out through the passenger side window before one officer Tased him. He added, "They blocked him in properly, they did a good job doing that. 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, applauded the way the officers handled the situation, preventing injuries or the prospect of a high-speed police pursuit. He said, "They stopped this situation before it could start ... that's bang right on."
Speaking with CP24, Peel police Cons. Tyler Bell said that with the rise in auto thefts, police have had to step up their tactics in response. He said, "Sadly as we've seen over the last year-and-a-half, the rapid increase in stolen vehicles, with that comes increased tactics that we have to use to try and prevent these dangerous situations from unfolding and having tragic consequences."
He praised the work of the officers who responded to the call and said that the situation could have ended in tragedy instead. He added, "Peel police are no strangers here to officers being rammed in their cruisers, and that is very much demonstrated by the tactics that the officers took pinning in the vehicle the way they did. It was excellent, excellent police tactics, excellent execution of the blocks that we are trained to do. It's very dynamic, and it happens very, very quickly, and it can end in absolute tragedy. We've seen a number of police officers killed this way, so we're very fortunate that it ended the way that it did."
According to CBC, the incident happened just after 6:30 p.m. at Westwood Square. Nikhi Chakravarthy said in a statement, "This was a very dynamic situation. There was serious potential for not only passersby, but officers and the individual himself to get injured seriously from his behavior."
He added, "Really, it's unbelievable that the officers were able to resolve this incident without anyone sustaining any injuries." However, the police news release the day after the incident stated that the accused suspect did suffer minor injuries.
Police were initially 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 prior. Upon arriving on scene, officers found the SUV at a Tim Horton's drive-thru and determined that the vehicle had been stolen in London, Ontario. Police then surrounded the vehicle to stop the driver from taking off.
That, however, did not work out as planned because videos and photos of the scene posted to social media show him trying to get away.
Chakravarthy said, "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."
David Porca, a witness to the incident, said that he was pulling into the parking lot around that time and saw the SUV on top of one of the police cruisers. He said, "He was trying to get away, going reverse and driving. Smashed one of the cars in the back." Porca said that the man then tried to get out through the passenger side window before one officer Tased him. He added, "They blocked him in properly, they did a good job doing that. 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, applauded the way the officers handled the situation, preventing injuries or the prospect of a high-speed police pursuit. He said, "They stopped this situation before it could start ... that's bang right on."
Speaking with CP24, Peel police Cons. Tyler Bell said that with the rise in auto thefts, police have had to step up their tactics in response. He said, "Sadly as we've seen over the last year-and-a-half, the rapid increase in stolen vehicles, with that comes increased tactics that we have to use to try and prevent these dangerous situations from unfolding and having tragic consequences."
He praised the work of the officers who responded to the call and said that the situation could have ended in tragedy instead. He added, "Peel police are no strangers here to officers being rammed in their cruisers, and that is very much demonstrated by the tactics that the officers took pinning in the vehicle the way they did. It was excellent, excellent police tactics, excellent execution of the blocks that we are trained to do. It's very dynamic, and it happens very, very quickly, and it can end in absolute tragedy. We've seen a number of police officers killed this way, so we're very fortunate that it ended the way that it did."
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