Child was driving during Guelph parking lot hit-and-run: police

Guelph police say they are looking for a child who was allegedly behind the wheel of a car when it crashed into another vehicle in a parking lot.

It happened near the skate park at the corner of Wellington Street and Edinburgh Road at around 7:50 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police said the four-door silver Nissan was being driven by a young child, estimated to be about eight to 10 years old when it struck a parked car.

Officers said a man was in the front passenger seat and a woman was outside the vehicle taking a video of the incident.

Police said after the crash, one of the adults took the wheel and fled the scene driving eastbound on Wellington Street.

Griffin Leigh-Bell owns the car that was hit and said he didn’t see the crash, but heard from a friend what had happened afterwards.

“My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it," he said.

He said he has seen the three at the skate park before and believes the two adults are the parents of the child.

“I was pretty shocked at first that a family with a child would do something like hit a car and not own up to it,” Leigh-Bell said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “That’s not only putting their kid in danger, but everyone in danger as well as setting a horrible example.”

He said there is obvious damage to his vehicle including a fog light that has caved in, along with scratches and dents to the passenger side.

Guelph police are now trying to identify the child, the two adults and the vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-824-1212 ext. 7167. Anonymous information can be left with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.