Stolen Uber car crashes near Union GO terminal
For a split second, the screams of the pedestrians bustling along Toronto’s transit centre evoked awful memories of last month’s tragedy in North York.
About 9 p.m. on Friday, a man drove a speeding car along the Union Station GO bus terminal road, smashing through a concrete barrier in the middle of Bay St. and hitting two cars before stopping at the Fairmount Royal York on Front St. Police said the man was intoxicated.
Some pedestrians were hit, but no one was seriously injured, according to police. The two cars — both sedans, one a taxi — were severely damaged.
“It feels like what happened at Yonge and Sheppard,” said a woman who was passing by. “Thank God everyone is OK.”
The driver had stolen an abandoned and still-running Uber near 51 division at Parliament and Front Sts., an officer told the Star. The Uber driver had left his car unattended and gone into a store.
As the driver sped through the road next to the Bay St. bus terminal, four GO Transit officers gave chase.
“They chased the driver on foot,” Anne Marie Aikins, a spokesperson for Metrolinx, told the Star. “We are extremely proud of them. Their quick action prevented further injury or worse. ”
The driver stopped the stolen car at Front and York Sts., and fled, running down York St. He was caught by four GO Transit officers: Obaid Faizi-Ishakzay, Kamie McClure, Chris Gautreau and Ryan West.
AToronto police officer on the scene said the driver was in custody for impaired driving.
The identity of the driver could not be confirmed.
On April 23, a white van mounted the sidewalk on Yonge St. near Finch Ave. in North York, killing 10 people and injuring 16.