Police in Vancouver say a man who drove along a sidewalk, striking several trees, vehicles and a senior on a mobility scooter before crashing into a police cruiser, is facing multiple charges in relation to the ramming incident.
The Vancouver Police Department says 34-year-old Tadd Bali has been charged with four counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm following the rampage through the city’s West End neighbourhood.
The senior on the scooter was critically injured and remains in hospital in serious condition, the department said in a statement Tuesday.
Police were called to the scene at around 5:30 a.m. on May 15 for reports of a Jeep driving erratically in the area after crashing through a neighbourhood dog park.
The incident was captured on video by multiple witnesses, showing a path of destruction through the community as bystanders scrambled to get out of the way of the vehicle.
The driver was eventually arrested after ramming a police car that had responded to the complaint. The collision destroyed the cruiser and flipped the Jeep onto its side near the intersection of Comox and Bute streets.
Two officers who were in the cruiser were injured but released from hospital later that day.
Vancouver police identified one of the officers Tuesday as “a recruit constable who was on his second day of work” when the incident unfolded.
The statement said Bali has had “extensive interactions with police in B.C. and in Saskatchewan.”
Court records show Tadd Myron Bali, who was born in 1991, remains in police custody with his next court appearance scheduled for May 22.
Investigators are asking anyone with video related to the incident to contact the Vancouver police major crimes unit at 604-717-2500.
