NEWS NOW: Officers narrowly escape injury after speeding van crashes RIDE checkpoint

Photo courtesy of Niagara Regional Police.

Bullet News

ST. CATHARINES – Niagara Regional Police officers looking for impaired drivers narrowly escaped injury Sunday night when a driver lost control of his van and slid into the RIDE checkpoint they were operating.

At 11:50 p.m., officers set up a RIDE checkpoint on Ontario Street at the QEW overpass in St. Catharines.

Police say a male driver approached the checkpoint at a “high rate of speed” operating a Pontiac Montana van.

As he approached, he locked his brakes and losing control of the van.

The van spun 180 degrees as it entered the RIDE checkpoint, striking numerous cones and narrowly missing two police cruisers and four officers.

The male driver was arrested and charged with dangerous driving and driving while under suspension.

The RIDE blitz was held in conjunction with Sunday’s Super Bowl game.

More than 300 vehicles were stopped.

Officers conducted 11 roadside screening tests, resulting in one person being charged with being over the legal limit of blood alcohol.

One person charged after refusing to provide a breath sample.

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Written by on February 4, 2013 in News Now, Niagara Bullets, Police Bullets, St Catharines, Thorold - 1 Comment

One Comment on "NEWS NOW: Officers narrowly escape injury after speeding van crashes RIDE checkpoint"

  1. gord brown February 5, 2013 at 9:02 am · Reply

    “As he approached, he locked his brakes and losing control of the van.”

    This kills me…No spell check? Can’t even talk my way through this one. lol.
    As a tradesperson, if my work was submitted like this I would probably get FIRED!!!

    “His writing has earned him six Ontario Newspaper Awards”
    Lmfao

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About the Author

John Robbins

John Robbins, an award-winning multimedia journalist, joined Bullet News as a staff writer in January 2011. He was named editor in April 2013. The veteran reporter worked in Niagara and Fort Erie for more than a decade, using his investigative skills in a wide range of beats, including local politics, health/environment, education, business and tourism. His writing has earned him six Ontario Newspaper Awards Robbins, born and raised in Niagara Falls, studied at Emmanuel Bible College and Brock University before graduating from the Journalism-Print program at Niagara College, where he earned several scholarships and awards. During his 11 years as a reporter at the Niagara Falls Review, Robbins, who was Fort Erie bureau chief from 2002-2006, was instrumental in bringing video and e-reporting skills into daily practice at the newspaper and helped build its web and social media audiences. In 2009, Robbins received an appointment to journalism-print advisory committee at Niagara College. Robbins lives in Ridgeway.