A liquor store robbery led to a wild high-speed chase, in which a U-Haul cargo van carrying the alleged suspect drove into oncoming traffic on Canada’s busiest highway.
When the 20-minute ordeal was over, the suspect was dead, as were two grandparents and an infant, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Another man reportedly riding in the van was believed to be in critical condition Wednesday. He has so far not been identified as a suspect.
Authorities said at least six vehicles were involved in the collision that happened east of Toronto on Monday night and ended with a plume of smoke over Highway 401.
An an off-duty officer was reportedly in the liquor store at the time of the robbery, though it’s unclear what exactly happened in the store. Investigators are trying to determine if the chase that ensued was necessary.
Daniel Brown, a Toronto-based criminal defense lawyer, told the Global News that police “put everyone in harm’s way by engaging this particular pursuit on one of Canada’s busiest highways.”
Dashcam video posted to social media recorded other drivers marveling at the intensity of the deadly chase.
Motorist Allen Lee told Global News he saw the speeding van coming right at him.
“I dodged out of the way, thinking ‘that was the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me,’” Lee said. “As he passed by me, I am looking in my rear view and I don’t know how many cop cars passed me, but maybe between 10 and 20 cop cars were flying by chasing him.”
That total was not corroborated by Canadian authorities, though audio recordings released Wednesday indicate an Ontario Provincial Police warned a dispatcher that a dangerous situation was unfolding and “someone’s going to get hurt.”
A dispatcher confirmed at least a dozen officers were involved in the pursuit.
