A 23-year-old man is facing a litany of charges after he allegedly stole tools from a Scarborough hardware store and then pointed a knife at two officers who cornered him nearby.
Police say that the officers were travelling along Warden Avenue south of Eglinton Avenue on Thursday at around 3 p.m. when a suspect carrying a black duffel bag bolted across five lanes of traffic, forcing them to come to a sudden stop.
Police say the officers responded by turning their vehicle around and pulling up alongside the suspect, who had made his way to a parking lot on the other side of Warden Avenue.
The officers then remained in their vehicle and verbally identified themselves. The suspect, however, dropped the duffel bag upon hearing the word “police” and took off on foot back towards Warden Avenue.
Police say the officers then got out of their cruiser and pursued the man on foot.
Police say the man changed direction on several occasions in an effort to escape the officers but was eventually cornered in a nearby truck port.
That’s when police allege the suspect turned to face the officers and produced a six-inch Benchmark knife.
Police allege that the man held the knife in his right hand and pointed it towards the officers for several minutes but eventually dropped it to the ground.
The officers then took the man into custody without further incident.
Meanwhile, the black duffel bag was located nearby.
Police say they found several tools and hardware items stolen from a Warden Avenue Lowe's hardware store inside the bag.
Ivan Konstantinovskiy, 23, of Thornhill, is facing 12 charges including two counts of assault peace officer and threaten to use weapon.
He appeared in court at Eglinton Avenue East on Friday.
