Wild scenes came out of Canada this week after an Ontario man was seen ramming and driving over police cars with a Ford Bronco in—get this—a Tim Hortons drive-thru line.
According to CBC News, police were called to Westwood Square in Mississauga (the city west-adjacent to Toronto) on Tuesday after somebody recognized the 25-year-old Bronco driver as the same person who allegedly stole from a nearby store a few weeks prior. He was also reportedly in possession of weapons. When police arrived, the Bronco was sitting at a Tim Hortons drive-thru and they also determined that the vehicle was stolen, making this incident yet another intense chapter in the Toronto area’s ongoing car theft saga.
Multiple cop cars surrounded the vehicle, at which point the driver tried to flee, taking full advantage of the Bronco’s off-road capabilities.
Ford’s boxy off-roader may be great on a trail, but driving over an entire Dodge Durango isn’t quite in its skillset.
“Our officers managed to pin the vehicle in to prevent the driver from fleeing, but as you can see in the now-viral videos, the driver tries desperately to break free — and at one point even mounts the front end of one of the cruisers,” Constable Nikhil Chakravarthy told CBC News.
According to witnesses, the Bronco driver then attempted to flee out of the passenger window before an officer subdued him by firing a Taser. The man was reportedly charged with three counts of possessing property obtained by crime (stealing), flight from and obstruction of a peace officer (ramming cops), and dangerous operation of a vehicle (willingly lining up for Tim Hortons coffee).
This level of aggression may come off as uncharacteristic for Canada, but as The Drive‘s resident Torontonian, this behavior is merely the latest in what feels like a long string of chaotic on-road behavior up in these parts. In addition to a rampant theft problem, Toronto has some of the worst traffic in the world, ranking third in a recent list of cities with the slowest-moving commutes. As many locals will tell you, “Toronto is an hour away from Toronto.” This has led to a noticeable uptick in road rage, with videos of brawls and drawn knives going viral in recent months.
That said, the overall visuals of this incident are extremely Canadian. The Tims in the background, the red Bronco, the lack of gunfire from police—there may as well have been a polar bear hanging out just outside the frame.
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