A 28-year-old London man is facing multiple charges, following a stolen vehicle investigation early Tuesday morning in south London that ended near Aylmer with the help of spike belts and a police canine unit.
It all began around 1:50 a.m. at a car dealership on Wharncliffe Road South when police were contacted after a security guard on patrol found damage to the exterior of the business, police said Tuesday.
Investigators say the guard spotted a man taking the plates off of a vehicle on the lot before fleeing in a 2019 Green Dodge Challenger that police later learned had been stolen.
Fast forward to nearly two hours later, when police say a canine unit officer found the vehicle stopped in a parking lot along Exeter Road in the city’s south end.
“The vehicle left the lot at a high rate of speed, narrowly missing a police officer standing at the exit of the parking lot,” police said in a statement, noting a spike belt was used at the scene on the vehicle, which continued driving.
Officers continued to track the car and notified neighbouring police agencies, including the OPP, as well as police in Aylmer and St. Thomas, police said.
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A short time later, police in Aylmer reported that the vehicle was travelling eastbound along Ron McNeil Line.
According to investigators, Aylmer police also used a spike belt on the vehicle, which later stopped near Imperial Road.
The suspect took off on foot, but the chase ended a short time later after he was found by a London police canine unit.
The accused, a 28-year-old London man, faces charges including possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, public mischief, divert suspicion from self or cause another to be suspected, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and fail to comply with release order.
Police say he was slated to appear in court on Tuesday and remains in court as of the afternoon.
Anyone with information is asked to contact London police or Crime Stoppers.
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