Cops Fired Upon During Pursuit On Highway 401
Posted November 22, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Motorists heading into the city Wednesday morning were forced onto other routes as the westbound collector lanes of Highway 401 between Allen Rd. and Keele St. were closed between 4am and about 9am for the police investigation.
Officers scanned the roadway for shell casings following the potentially deadly pursuit.
It all began at about 3:45am when police were dispatched to a club at a strip mall near Finch Ave. W. and Chesswood Dr. following reports of shots fired. When they arrived on the scene, a pair of suspects took off in a silver SUV.
Police followed the vehicle onto the westbound 401 lanes. According to reports the suspect vehicle was travelling as fast as 140 kilometres an hour at one point, and during the pursuit one individual allegedly pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
“As officers tried to pull this vehicle over on the 401, a passenger leaned out of the window and fired several shots at the two police cruisers,” police spokesman Victor Kwong explains.
The officers weren’t injured in the incident, but they lost sight of the SUV after it exited the highway at Keele St. and couldn’t continue the chase because of the danger to other motorists.
The suspects still haven’t been located.
Witnesses said the sports store where the shooting took place was holding a poker tournament.
And they claim they’ve always known there was gambling going on in the area. They believe the crooks do, too.
It’s all made people who work in the area very afraid.
“Wow. It’s like TV,” marvels Brian Jonkman. “It’s like what you watch on TV. Hey, it’s actually happening here now, too.”
“I was watching it on the news but I didn’t realize it was right here where I worked,” adds one woman.
Another man concedes, “That’s not really good. We need more (security) here.”
But while cops appear to be stymied, they have made some progress in the hours since the crime. They found the getaway car in south Etobicoke and it’s providing some good leads.
But they could still use your help. If you have any information, call police at 416-808-3200 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
