A man has been charged after a viral video, which appears to show him driving away from a large group of police officers telling him to stop at gunpoint, before hitting several other vehicles and ultimately being arrested.
Toronto police said it was around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday when they were called to King and Portland streets for reports of someone with a gun.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the vehicle and, police say, they ordered the driver to turn it off.
Video footage posted online appears to show multiple Toronto officers pointing firearms into the vehicle, which is idling in the middle of the road.
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Instead of turning it off, however, police said the driver reversed, hitting a scooter and another car. He then turned, drove into an alleyway and hit another parked car.
Alishba Zarmeen’s Tesla was one of the vehicles allegedly hit by the driver. She said it is going to need a lot of repairs.
“The indicator lights, the headlights, the bumpers, the panels,” she said, listing off the issues after the incident.
The video then shows officers sprinting to follow the vehicle, while other police riding bicycles rush to corner it. The 27-year-old driver was arrested at the scene.
He has been charged with failure to stop for police and dangerous operation.
Zarmeen praised the police for how they handled the situation.
“They did the right thing, nobody got hurt, the guy got arrested — all things considered, great outcome of everything,” she said.
Juliana Barcos, who lives in the area, said the dramatic video was indicative of the area.
“Not surprised,” they said, adding it was “crazy down here.”
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