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Toronto

Video shows driver of stolen Hummer ramming police cruisers in Toronto’s downtown core

Video shows police ramming into a stolen hummer last night in downtown Toronto.

A suspect who allegedly stole a Hummer on Thursday night was caught on video slamming into multiple police cruisers as he attempted to evade arrest in a densely populated downtown neighbourhood.

The footage, obtained by CP24, shows several officers, in cruisers and on foot, scrambling to stop the driver of the white Hummer, who investigators say was out on bail after being arrested in connection with a previous incident involving a stolen vehicle and police pursuit.

One witness told CP24 that the scene looked like something “out of a movie.”

“I just looked out the window and saw the Hummer come down, really fast, down the street. Literally like eight or nine cop cars swarm from all directions,” she told CP24.

“It just kept ramming the cop cars, again and again, so then police were getting out with their guns and trying to corner him on foot as well as in the car. That didn’t work so they just kept pushing it straight into the building.”

The suspect was ultimately boxed in by police and arrested.

Police said they were first alerted to the stolen vehicle when the licence plate was picked up by an Automatic Licence Plate Reader.

“We are very lucky we don’t have an officer that was either killed or seriously injured last night,” Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell told CP24 on Friday morning.

“Our officers did a great job and boxed in the stolen Hummer… If he would have escaped this box, and got out into the streets of Toronto with this weather, with snow on the ground, we could have had a hurt citizen a killed citizen.”

Campbell noted that the suspect, who is believed to be 32 years old, has been involved in multiple police pursuits in the past.

“I’m hearing that the person has at least 75 criminal convictions, out on bail for pursuits with police officers, has a history of pursuits with police officers. These are the type of people we need to keep in custody,” he said.

“We completely support restorative justice but this 75 chances.”

Police have identified the driver of the Hummer as George Sault, of Toronto.

He has been charged with theft of a motor-vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, failing to stop for police, dangerous operation of a vehicle, assaulting a peace officer, possessing an electronic device for motor-vehicle theft, and failing to comply with a release order.

With files from CP24’s Courtney Heels