A 28-year-old Hamilton man is in police custody in connection with two separate armed confrontations at a Burlington motel that preceded a car chase Tuesday.
Halton Regional Police say that on Tuesday morning at 3:09 a.m. a man walked into the Motel 6 located at 4345 North Service Road in Burlington.
He allegedly opened a backpack and revealed a handgun to a motel employee and demanded that he be allowed to enter a room where he believed a female acquaintance was staying.
The motel employee took him to the room but no one was inside. The man then fled the scene in a silver hatchback. Motel staff called police to the scene but they were unable to locate a suspect.
At 11:25 a.m. that same day, police allege the same man returned to the Motel 6 and confronted the female acquaintance. He allegedly chased her throughout the motel on foot, brandishing a handgun, threatening to kill her.
She then got into a vehicle in the parking lot along with a male friend. The suspect allegedly fired a single round that hit the hood of the vehicle as the female sat in the front passenger seat. The female and her friend then sped off, while the suspect gave chase in another vehicle.
The pursuit lasted about two kilometres before the suspect fled the area. A witness called police and provided them with a suspect’s license plate.
Police located the female victim and her friend in the area of Mainway and Dillon Road. Neither person was injured.
At 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, police located a suspect and a vehicle in a parking garage on Main Street West in Hamilton. He was arrested without incident.
On Wednesday morning, police recovered a handgun from the suspect’s residence.
James Kohne Phixakoune has been charged with attempted murder and reckless discharge of a firearm.
He will appear in court next on Friday July 14 in Milton.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Joe Barr at 906-825-4747, ext. 2385.
