Sudbury man charged after crime spree

Sudbury -

A 28-year-old Sudbury man at the centre of Thursday's large-scale police search is facing a list of charges connected to two robberies and a series of car crashes, police said.

Police were called to the scene of a robbery at Shoppers Drug Mart on Riverside Drive around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

"Information provided was that a man had driven a truck into the front of the building, attended the pharmacy inside and stole narcotics along with other items. The driver then fled the scene in the vehicle," Greater Sudbury Police Service said in a news release on Friday morning. "Minutes later, we received a call regarding a collision involving the same vehicle where the driver fled the scene in the vehicle. Multiple 911 calls began coming into our 911 Emergency Communications Centre in relation to the vehicle being driven erratically and aggressively in various areas of the South End of Greater Sudbury."

The black and white pickup truck was seen being driven into oncoming traffic and crashing into parked and moving vehicles, hitting a fence and a building before heading east on Highway 17 toward Coniston, police said.

"One person was transported to hospital with minor injuries as a result of one of the collisions," police said.

The accused tried to steal another vehicle in the Highway 537 area threatening the property owners. When he was spotted driving down Kukagami Lake Road, officers closed the road at Highway 17, as well as road exit points in Capreol and Skead.

Residents in the Kukagami Lake Road and Ashigami Road area were asked to take shelter while police searched for the man.

Police received a tip about the accused's location around 2 p.m. and he surrendered to officers without incident about 30 minutes later. The vehicle he was driving was found nearby.

As a result, the 28-year-old has been charged with:

• Two counts of robbery
• Thirteen counts of failing to remain at the scene of a collision
• Four counts of mischief
• Dangerous driving

He is being held in custody pending a bail hearing.

"We believe that there are possibly other vehicles impacted by this incident and we encourage anyone impacted or who witnessed the incident to contact our Criminal Investigation Division at 705-675-9171," police said. "Additional charges are anticipated, as the investigation is ongoing."

None of the allegations has been proven in court.