North Bay police charge Brampton man with attempted murder of officer

A 20-year-old from southern Ontario is facing 19 criminal charges, including the attempted murder of a North Bay police officer who tried to arrest him in a stolen vehicle Friday, police say.

An officer on general patrol in the Wyld Street area of the northeastern Ontario city around 11:30 a.m. May 31 was alerted by the automatic license plate recognition system of an approaching vehicle that was reported stolen.

The vehicle fled when the officer tried to pull the driver over.

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Another officer found the vehicle in a Memorial Drive parking lot and approached the driver.

"After a short exchange, in which the driver provided false identification, the driver put the vehicle in motion and struck the officer, pinning him between the accused’s vehicle and another vehicle," North Bay Police Service said in a news release Monday.

"The officer ended up on the ground and the accused then drove toward the officer, who was able to escape. The accused then struck a police cruiser and another vehicle several times before driving away at a high rate of speed."

Sustaining minor injuries in the incident, the injured officer was taken to hospital and is recovering.

The suspect struck another police cruiser as it arrived, police said.

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A short car chase ensued down Memorial Drive but ended due to public safety reasons.

Several people called 911 to report the suspect driving "dangerously throughout the city" before helping officers locate the vehicle again on MacBeth Avenue.

The accused was arrested after a short foot chase.

"He was found to be impaired by drugs and was transported to North Bay Police Service headquarters, where he was positively identified through fingerprints," police said.

"A small quantity of illegal drugs was found as a result of police searches."

At the time of his arrest, the suspect was out on a release order from Brampton for several crimes, including flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, mischief and possession of property obtained by crime.

As a result of the incident, he is charged with breaching his release order along with 18 others.

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He was held in custody for a bail hearing.

"The North Bay Police Service would like to thank several members of the public who assisted in this investigation at various locations throughout the city, especially those who came to the aid of the injured officer," police said.

"The North Bay Police Service’s criminal investigations unit is continuing to investigate this incident, and is requesting the public’s assistance. Investigators are seeking eye witnesses and possible dash cam footage that may have captured the any portion of the incident. If you have any information in relation to this or any other incident, please call 705-497-5555 and press 5 to speak with an officer."