A Northern Ontario man is accused of assaulting police, mischief and other offences after a video shared to social media showed a sports utility vehicle being used to ram a car twice.
According to Ontario Provincial Police in Temiskaming, the incident occurred on Hwys. 11 and 65 in the Temiskaming Shores area shortly after 1 p.m. on Dec. 30.
“After the collision, OPP made several attempts to stop the vehicle which resulted in the deployment of a spike belt,” police said on social media a day after the incident. “The suspect vehicle was stopped and the driver was arrested.”
Police identified the vehicle as a white Toyota Rav 4 SUV.
While there were no injuries reported the victim was transported to a local hospital as a precaution, cops added.
Trevor Marchildon, 37, of Englehart, is accused of two counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer causing bodily harm, criminal harassment for repeatedly following another motor vehicle, mischief endangering life, resisting a peace officer, flight from a peace officer, assault with a weapon, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and two counts of disobeying a court order.
Dash cam footage of the alarming incident was uploaded to Facebook later that day by the victim, who also shared a video of the damage to his Honda Accord.
“I’ve never seen this man before this, and have no reason to know why someone would want to try to harm me,” James Turner wrote.
Turner explained that the driver of the SUV nearly caused a head-on collision with another car ahead of him. He flicked his high beams on and off at the driver, which may have triggered the incident, he added.
In the video, the SUV stops on the shoulder of the highway and Turner pulls over as well. The SUV moves forward a short distance before the driver reverses on the shoulder.
Turner starts to back up on the shoulder as well to avoid the oncoming vehicle and calls police.
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“Somebody’s trying to back up into me on the highway,” Turner tells a 911 dispatcher. “I’m driving backwards on the shoulder.”
The video then shows the driver turning the SUV around and ramming Turner’s car head on and onto a bridge.
Turner manages to drive away and says he is heading to a local OPP detachment while being chased by the driver, who then rams the Honda from behind, which spins the car around, and smashes into the driver-side door.
“He may have thought I was an undercover officer,” Turner wrote. “I’m just glad it seems no one else got hurt. I got excellent care from EMS, police, and the lovely staff at Temiskaming Emerge who took excellent care of me.”
Investigators are asking anyone who has video or dash camera footage relating to collisions and alleged erratic driving of the SUV in the Temiskaming Shores area to contact Temiskaming OPP at 1-888-310-1122 and reference occurrence E241708623.
Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at ontariocrimestoppers.ca.