An early morning high-speed chase in North Kent ended with two men in custody after police had to resort to using a spike strip to stop a truck reported stolen in Wallaceburg.
Police on Wallaceburg’s Dufferin Avenue saw a Grey GMC Sierra truck eastbound at about 3:30 a.m. and recognized it as having been reported stolen from a Gordon Street home earlier in the evening.
After failing to get the vehicle to stop, police say the truck accelerated through Wallaceburg, past Dresden and Wabash before being stopped at Brick Road.
After the tires were deflated, the driver continued to operate the truck on the rims until finally being brought to a stop by two police cruisers.
The driver and his passenger exited the truck and fled on foot. The driver was arrested by officers following a short foot chase.
The passenger was taken into custody by K9 Arry. He was transported to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance for medical attention. Total damage to the cruisers has been estimated at $2,000.
During the more than 30-kilometre chase, police reported the driver of the stolen vehicle reached double the legal limit. The speed limit on Base Line is 90 kilometres per hour.
Through investigation, police learned that the driver was currently bound by a Probation Order with a condition not to associate with his passenger.
The passenger was also bound by a curfew and conditions not to associate with the driver.
The driver, an 18-year-old Munsee-Delaware First Nation man has been charged with theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by a crime over $5000, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failing to comply. He has been held in custody pending a bail hearing.
The passenger, a 16-year-old Chippewas of the Thames First Nation youth has been charged with theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by a crime over $5,000 and two counts of failing to comply. He has been held in custody pending a bail hearing.
Chatham-Kent Deputy Chief Jeff Littlewood stated, “I am extremely proud of the way our officers and dispatchers conducted themselves early this morning. The driver placed himself, his passenger, our officers and the community in a very dangerous situation. Because of our training and teamwork, we were able to resolve it quickly and efficiently.”
Littlewood continued, “Our work here is not done though. The community of Wallaceburg has been victimized over the past couple months as numerous trucks have been stolen. I would like to reassure everyone that we are taking these thefts very seriously and will continue to work with neighbouring police agencies to ascertain if there are any links or evidence to suggest that these two individuals are responsible for previous incidents.”
The Chatham-Kent Police Service urges anyone with information regarding any of the stolen vehicles from Wallaceburg to please contact Const. Mark VanderGriendt at markvan@chatham-kent.ca or 519-436-6600 ext. 293.
Anonymous callers may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) and may be eligible for a cash reward.
