Guelph, Ont. man faces charges after stolen taxi cab crashes into hydro pole

Guelph Police say several charges were laid Friday evening after a taxi was stolen and then crashed,

Just after 8:30 p.m., officers were called to a collision on the property of Guelph General Hospital.

Authorities said a man jumped in the front passenger-side seat of a taxi and demanded a ride. The cabbie refused the fare, as he already had a paying passenger sitting in the back seat.

The cabbie went to get help from hospital security. While he was gone the man, police said in the front shifted into the driver’s seat of the taxi, even though the passenger was still in the back.

The passenger in the back seat jumped out after he saw what was going on, police said. The man then drove off in the cab, accelerating quickly and sideswiping another vehicle. Police said the cab hit a curb and was “briefly airborne” before colliding with a hydro pole.

Both the cab and the sideswiped vehicle sustained significant damage, police said. The man who had taken the cab suffered minor injuries.

Charges against a 29-year-old Guelph man include theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, and impaired driving.