Huntsville OPP search for suspect after officer injured at R.I.D.E. stop

Huntsville OPP are searching for a male suspect after an officer was injured at a R.I.D.E. stop during the early morning hours of Saturday.

Just before 1 a.m., officers were conducting R.I.D.E. stops on Highway 11, on the off-ramp to Highway 592, near Novar, Ont.

At around 1:10 a.m., a white Toyota Corolla approached the R.I.D.E. stop slowly, police say.

Officers say the man failed to show his identification and police suspected he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

An officer who was at the driver’s passenger side saw the driver reach under the seat, so they demanded the driver turn the vehicle off and opened the passenger door, police say.

According to police, the driver then put the vehicle into drive, fleeing from the R.I.D.E. stop and forcing the officer to fall into the car.

At one point, officers say the driver crashed the vehicle into a concrete barrier.

The suspect then got out of the vehicle and ran over the bridge onto the southbound lanes of Highway 11, leaving the officer still partially inside the vehicle and injured, police say.

Huntsville OPP are looking to locate the male suspect, who is described to have short, cornrow-style hair, and be five feet 10 inches to six feet tall with a thin build. Police say the man was last seen wearing a T-shirt and jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Huntsville OPP at 705-789-5551 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.