MOONBEAM - Charges have been laid in an incident that had an officer fire his gun at a suspect who drove into a police vehicle before fleeing on foot.
A 36-year-old from Smooth Rock Falls is facing a number of charges, including spousal assault and vehicle theft, in the Sept. 20 incident. Because the Ontario Special Investigations Unit is involved, the only new information being reported by James Bay OPP are the charges laid on Sept. 21.
The name of the accused is not being released to protect the identity of the victim.
The SIU is an arms-length agency that investigates police-involved incidents where there has been a death, serious injury, allegations of sexual assault, or the discharge of a firearm at a person.
The agency has released preliminary details of the investigation.
RELATED: SIU called in after incident that closed highway for about 12 hours
On Sept. 20 around 8:30 p.m., OPP officers responded to a domestic dispute, but the suspect left the residence before police arrived.
When police tried to stop the vehicle and block it on Highway 11 east of Moonbeam, the man drove into the police vehicle. An officer fired his gun at the vehicle and the man fled on foot. The man did not receive any injuries from the firearm.
The police investigation shut down Highway 11, which is part of the Trans Canada Highway, for 12 hours.
The 36-year-old from Smooth Rock Falls is charged with:
- Assault - spousal
- Mischief - destroys or damages property (spousal)
- Theft of a motor vehicle
- Take motor vehicle without consent
- Operation while prohibited under the criminal code
- Assault with a weapon
- Dangerous operation
- 2 counts of mischief - destroys or damages property
- 2 counts of fail to comply with probation order
- Driving while under suspension
The accused is still in police custody and is slated to appear in court later this month.
None of the charges have been tested in court and the accused is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
