Toronto police have arrested the driver of a stolen U-Haul truck downtown after he allegedly abducted a citizen at gunpoint on Wednesday. The suspect is believed to have been involved in the stabbing of a police officer two weeks ago.
Police said the driver, 49, was chased by Toronto police cruisers following from a distance on the ground and a York Regional Police helicopter tracking the vehicle from above. The chase ended in a collision at Church and Carlton streets, where the suspect was arrested.
The citizen who was abducted was rescued by police along the way, police said. The citizen told police that the suspect had a gun.
According to police, the incident lasted over two hours.
Insp. Maher Abdel-Malik, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, told reporters that the incident began when police from 43 Division’s major crimes unit in plain clothes were following up on their investigation into a Dec. 6 stabbing of an off-duty police officer at a Best Buy location at the Scarborough Town Centre. Police said the officer was intervening in a robbery, when he was stabbed in the wrist.
At the time, police said they were looking for four people — three men and a woman. The four allegedly fled with a stolen item in a blue Toyota Sienna minivan. Two suspects were later named as wanted, while two others were not identified.
That investigation led police to the area of Danforth and Warden avenues on Wednesday, where they located a suspect in the stolen truck at about 11:30 a.m.
A citizen had been abducted by that point, police said. Police have not said where exactly the abduction took place or who rented the U-Haul truck.
Abdel-Malik said officers tried to stop the vehicle at Danforth and Warden avenues safely and there was an altercation that resulted in minor injuries to some officers, he said.
The citizen was brought to safety and the driver fled in the truck, he said.
Police moved in at ‘best opportunity’
Police said the pursuit ended at Church and Carlton streets.
“The helicopter followed this individual as we developed a plan to ensure public safety and that this matter could be resolved safely. The helicopter kept following the individual from above and we had our Emergency Task Force attend,” he said.
“What you saw here was the best opportunity for us to safely stop the vehicle and take the person into custody.”
The man was placed under arrest. There’s no word on charges.
“This was actually the safest moment to take the vehicle out,” Abdel-Malik said. “This was, in fact, the best location.”
Police said the driver may have collided with several vehicles in Toronto and Durham Region.
“There were some accidents that happened along the way,” he said.
If anyone was involved in a collision with the U-Haul truck, they are urged to call Toronto police’s traffic services unit at (416) 808-1900.
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