Windsor Police have charged a man with numerous offences after he attempting to flee police in a stolen vehicle yesterday afternoon.  At 1:20 p.m. on yesterday's date,  an officer assigned to the WPS Traffic Enforcement Unit was conducting speed enforcement duties in the 1000 block of Sprucewood Rd. in the city's far west side.  The officer clocked a black Ford Taurus travelling 91 km/h in a 50 km/h zone and stopped the vehicle on Sprucewood Rd. near Matchette Rd.  As the officer approached the driver's side of the vehicle,  the driver accelerated away from the officer making a right turn on Matchette Rd. and sped away southbound into the town of LaSalle.  The officer ran back to his vehicle and attempted to catch up to the fleeing vehicle which was pulling away from him still southbound on Matchette Rd.  The officer observed the Taurus driving erratically at a high rate of speed - going through three stop signs ( Reaume Rd, Bouffard Rd and Laurier Blvd) without stopping.  The vehicle passed several other cars also travelling southbound on the two lane road forcing several northbound vehicles to pull off to the side of the road to avoid colliding with the Taurus.  The officer observed the vehicle pulling away from him, and made the decision to deactivate his emergency lighting system and siren citing public safety issues and attempted to maintain observations of the speeding car. The officer lost sight of the vehicle momentarily as it rounded a curve.  The officer proceeded to the intersection of Matchette Rd at Martin Lane in the town of LaSalle and observed the black Taurus spun out in a field off the roadway.  The driver's door was open and the vehicle's engine was still running.  The officer observed fresh footprints in the snow leading from the vehicle to a field behind some houses on Martin Lane.  The officer notified LaSalle Police Service of the situation who responded to the area.  The officer followed the footprints in the snow for 2.5 kilometers westbound through the fields toward Front Rd.  LaSalle Officers on patrol on Front Rd. observed a man matching the description of the wanted driver emerge on foot between two houses in the 2700 block of Front Rd.  The shoes the suspect was wearing matched the footprints in the snow. The man was taken into custody without incident.

The subsequent investigation revealed that the suspect was a suspended driver and had taken the vehicle belonging to his cousin without consent from the driveway of his cousin's residence.  The vehicle sustained approximately $500 damage as a result of leaving the roadway.  The driver was not injured.

A 26 year old Hamilton man is facing charges including dangerous Driving, Take Auto Without Consent, Failing To Stop For Police, Drive While Under Suspension and Speeding.

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