Cruiser rammed, man charged

An Aylmer man, 33, has been charged with dangerous driving after allegedly ramming an Ontario Provincial Police cruiser while trying to flee from officers, Wednesday, July 29.

Aylmer Police Chief Andre Reymer said town officers began looking for the man that afternoon, based on concern for his well-being created by texts sent to his family, and asked for help from other police services in the district.

Elgin OPP Constable Troy Carlson said provincial officers spotted the man driving south on Imperial Road near Conservation Line at 5:15 p.m. and tried to pull him over. However, he didn’t stop, and pulled into the parking lot of Aylmer Garden Centre, then drove into a farm field where he allegedly almost hit a worker.

Police tried to block him from getting back on the road, but the man allegedly struck one of the cruisers involved before disappearing back into the field.

Aylmer Police and OPP set up a perimeter around fields in the area, and at 5:39 p.m. they received a telephone tip from a resident that the man had run through a nearby property.

Elgin OPP officers, an OPP canine unit and members of the OPP Emergency Response Team searched the property and found the man inside a barn, where he was arrested without further incident.