Car chase ends in dramatic crash
Owner of stolen truck and trailer was pursuing thief on Queen Street ‘trying to stop it’
A dramatic car chase that left a car wedged under a pickup, and a trail of damage along Queen Street, started with a stolen truck on the Mountain — and an irate owner who decided to give chase.
Sgt. Daryl Reid said Hamilton police received reports of a stolen pickup truck from the area of Garth Street and Sanatorium Road on the west Mountain early Saturday afternoon.
But police ended up responding to several reports of “road rage” between two vehicles that ended in a three-car pileup down the hill near Queen Street South at Herkimer Street. Rescue crews arrived to find spectators crowded around a grey sedan crushed underneath a teetering black pickup truck, with yet another car tangled in behind.
“It appears the owner of the truck was pursuing, trying to stop it,” said Reid.
“Luckily no one was injured, but all you have to do is look at the scene to know it could have been a very different outcome. … A number of pedestrians were close to being caught in the crossfire.”
Sean McNally was standing outside his house at the base of the Beckett Drive when the pickup truck “flew by and nearly took me out.”
“I was standing right there,” said McNally, pointing beside a spot on the sidewalk where tire tracks were visible both on the concrete as well as across part of the adjacent lawn.
“He was all over the road with the trailer swinging all over the place … the (owner) was right behind him.”
The truck and trailer, which was carrying lawn mowers and other landscaping equipment, veered on and off the sidewalk, taking out a bus stop pole at the corner of Aberdeen Avenue and later a light standard on Queen Street South.
Police said the thief and his pursuer then collided, crossed into the southbound lane and hit another car that was not involved in the chase.
No one was injured, but the pursuing car — which the irate truck owner had borrowed from a friend, according to police — was badly crushed.
The alleged thief, an unidentified male, fled the scene on foot.
Police said Saturday evening the investigation continues into both the theft and collision and it’s too soon to say if any charges will be laid related to the chase and crash.
Any witnesses with information about the chase or identity of the alleged truck thief are asked to call police at 905-546-4725. You can also anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Reid recommended against do-ityourself efforts to reclaim a stolen vehicle.
“We would always advise to call 911; let police do their job. You’re potentially endangering the life of others in the community if you try to do it yourself.”