OPP use spike belt to bring end to pursuit

A Kingsville man faces numerous charges after a lengthy police chase early Monday morning involving dangerous driving ended with deflated tires.

At around 2:30 a.m., a member of the Leamington Ontario Provincial Police saw a vehicle police described as suspicious near the intersection of Coronation Avenue and Erie Street South, police said Tuesday.

The driver of the vehicle ignored the officer’s attempts to pull the vehicle over when following with emergency lights.

The officer then observed the vehicle weaving side to side and running through stop signs, police said.

The suspect driver tried to elude the officer by braking abruptly and pulling into a business parking lot before re-entering the roadway and continuing on in the area of Oak Street West.

Additional officers dispatched to the intersection of Road 3 and Union Avenue attempted to stop the vehicle but were unsuccessful, and the vehicle continued on towards Kingsville, police said.

The vehicle was then observed driving in the oncoming lane, and at one point left the roadway. The driver lost control when re-entering the roadway and struck the side of a marked police vehicle.

Assisting officers set up a spike belt at the intersection of Graham Side Road and Road 2 East, successfully deflating the vehicle’s tires and slowing its speed considerably, police said.

Police eventually stopped the vehicle near the intersection of Graham Side Road and Kratz Road, and the driver was placed under arrest.

No injuries were reported during the course of the incident.