A 36-year-old man is facing eight criminal charges after an allegedly stolen van was reported speeding, swerving and hitting multiple cars in the University of Ottawa’s campus on Wednesday afternoon.
Although some of the vehicles were occupied when the van hit, no one reported any injuries to police, Const. Chuck Benoit said on Thursday morning, when the Ottawa Police Service announced the charges.
The charges laid against the driver include theft of a vehicle, resisting arrest, assault and failing or refusing to provide a sample, among other offences. Impairment was a factor in the incident, Benoit confirmed.
Police said on Wednesday they first received reports of an “erratic” or impaired driver at about 3:45 p.m. in the area of Laurier Avenue and King Edward Avenue.
The van was stolen, police later said, and the driver reportedly struck several vehicles in the Byward Market, Sandy Hill and Lees Avenue neighbourhoods before deserting the van. The driver was arrested nearby and taken into custody.
Benoit could not confirm exactly how many vehicles the driver allegedly hit on Thursday morning.
The driver was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
The charges he is facing are as follows, according to Ottawa police:
- Theft of motor vehicle
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Dangerous operation of a conveyance
- Fail to stop at a scene of an accident
- Resist arrest
- Assault
- Fail or refuse to provide a sample
- Fail to comply with a probation order
The university on Wednesday encouraged any students who may have been shaken by the incident to contact campus support services.
— With files from Christopher Whan