A Belleville police officer narrowly escaped injury after a cube-van driven by a 40-year-old man slammed into his marked police cruiser Saturday evening in the city’s east end during a bizarre sequence of events.
Shortly after 8 p.m. police dispatchers received a number of calls in the area of Victoria Avenue reporting an operator of a cube-van was driving at a high rate of speed, cutting across front yards, striking homes and slamming into vehicles in his path.
An officer responding to the call in a full marked vehicle with emergency lights/sirens activated spotted the vehicle barrelling erratically westbound on Victoria Avenue near East Side Secondary School.
The officer positioned his vehicle across the roadway in attempt to stop the vehicle as it maneuvered through the residential area of the city. Within seconds of the officer exiting his vehicle, the cube-van collided with the cruiser.
The collision spun the police cruiser approximately 15 metres and severely damaged the cube-van, causing it to slow to a stop.
The officer, who did not sustain injury, arrested the male who was still in the front seat of the vehicle.
The driver of the cube van did not sustain any injury.
Both the Belleville Police Service Traffic Safety and the Forensic Identification units joined members of the Criminal Investigations Division to assist with the investigation.
The roadway, which was closed for more than 15 hours near the intersection of Victoria Avenue and Farley Avenue to allow for scene reconstruction and evidence collection, was reopened at 10:50 a.m. this morning.
Belleville Police arrested and charged 40-year-old, Joaquim HYLTON, of Belleville with Impaired Driving, Operation, Impaired/Over 80, Dangerous Drive and Fail to Stop for Accident. He was transported to the Belleville Police Service where he appeared for a bail hearing Sunday morning.
HYTON was released on conditions following a bail hearing. He is to reappear in Belleville court on October 31, 2024.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing below is an Axon community request link and QR code for anyone who may have dashcam or video evidence to upload to Belleville Police Service.
https://bellevillepoliceon.ca.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/be24020046
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
