Cobourg man arrested following police pursuit from Peterborough to Port Hope: OPP

A Cobourg man is in custody after OPP say he was pursued by police from Peterborough to Port Hope on New Year’s Day.

According to Peterborough Police Service, the pursuit began in Peterborough when officers attempted to initiate a vehicle stop around 11:40 a.m. in the area of Lansdowne St. and The Parkway after a northbound vehicle sped through an intersection. Police say the incident caused east- and westbound traffic to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

Peterborough police say the vehicle continued at a high rate of speed and eventually pulled over in the area of The Parkway and Clonsilla Avenue. When the officer attempted to place the man under arrest for dangerous driving, the driver allegedly assaulted and threatened the police officer and fled the area in the vehicle.

“They (Peterborough police) terminated that pursuit for safety, and let us know that they were trying to stop a vehicle, which was unsuccessful,” said Northumberland OPP Sgt. Mark Collins.

Collins says a Peterborough County OPP officer then located the suspect vehicle travelling southbound on County Road 28 and initiated a pursuit. However, Collins says, the pursuit was once again called off due to safety concerns.

Northumberland OPP were notified, and officers set up a controlled stop in the area of County Road 28 at Dale Road, just north of Port Hope and about 45 kilometres south of Peterborough, Collins says.

Around 1 p.m., Collins says officers again located the suspect vehicle, which was reportedly stopped on the roadway due to a traffic backlog.

Collins says the driver refused to exit the vehicle, reportedly prompting an officer to break the driver’s side window to access the man and arrest him. He was transported back to the Peterborough police station.

Mitchell Alexander Hart, 27, of Mackechnie Crescent, Cobourg, has been charged with the following:

• 2 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
• Escape being at large without excuse
• Flight from a peace officer
• Assaulting a peace officer
• Uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm
• Failure to stop for police
•  Operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs
• Driving a vehicle or boat with cannabis readily available
• Operating a motor vehicle without insurance

He was held in custody and is scheduled to appear in court later Thursday.

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