A 20-year-old Pickering man is facing a slew of charges after he allegedly sped away from police after being asked to provide a breath sample and then slammed into a cruiser during a subsequent high-speed chase, narrowly missing an officer on foot.
Police say that an officer on routine patrol in Whitby spotted the suspect’s vehicle go through a red light on Whites Road at around 5 a.m. on Aug. 20 and proceeded to conduct a traffic stop.
They say that while speaking to the driver, the officer detected the smell of alcohol on his breath and noticed full and empty bottles of beer and wine in his vehicle. Police say that the driver and a 17-year-old female passenger in this vehicle then became argumentative and physically resisted the officer’s attempts to reach into the vehicle to prevent it from moving.
The driver then sped away after the officer demanded a breath sample, police say.
A brief police chase followed but that pursuit was ultimately called off after the suspect’s vehicle slammed into a cruiser as it attempted to leave a dead end street and then reached speeds in excess of 100 km/hr.
About 45 minutes later, police spotted the male suspect and the female passenger walking on Valley Farm Road and took them both into custody without further incident. The vehicle that they were believed to be operating was later found abandoned on Denvale Drive with its licence plates removed. The plates, along with car keys, ID, cellphones and a small quantity of cannabis, was later found inside a sweater that was tucked away in some bushes on Valley Farm Road, police say.
Micah Berry, 20, is charged with assaulting a peace officer, assault with intent to resist arrest, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, assault with a weapon and failure to stop at the scene of an accident. The 17-year-old passenger is charged with assaulting a peace officer.
