Guelph police say a 22-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after he allegedly fled from officers twice within the last two weeks.
Damian Hitchcock-Hurst was taken into custody in Cambridge at around 12:30 p.m. as part of a joint effort between Guelph police and the OPP.
“This individual has shown no concern for public safety and has been involved in two reckless and dangerous incidents that have put the public in danger,” said Const. Josh Fraser.
Police allege Hitchcock-Hurst took off from officers in a stolen vehicle during a break-in on McElderry Road on Oct. 2, while ramming a parked car and almost hitting a police cruiser.
Police’s high-enforcement action team (HEAT) then tracked down the suspect at a townhouse complex on College Avenue on Wednesday, but he fled again in another vehicle that police believed was stolen.
Fraser said officers tried to block the vehicle, but it mounted a curb, plowed through the backyard area of the complex and then drove into oncoming traffic before running a red light at the Hanlon Expressway.
“We’re very fortunate that there were no injuries or accidents as a result of his actions,” he said.
The HEAT unit and Guelph police’s service intelligence unit teamed with the OPP’s street crime unit to finally arrest Hitchcock-Hurst in Cambridge after a brief foot pursuit.
“We did want to make sure that this individual was arrested, but also taking the time to have a plan and formulate a plan to arrest this male so that there were no further incidents,” Fraser said.
Police said he was found with a stolen vehicle, break-in tools, bear spray, pills believed to be morphine, along with a credit card and cheques that did not belong to him.
Hitchcock-Hurst is facing over 20 charges.
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