Man who led police on crash-filled escape run in stolen U-Haul now facing dozens of charges

A Toronto man is facing three dozen charges after leading police on a crash-filled escape run in a stolen U-Haul truck through the east end of the GTA on Wednesday.

Toronto police say they were in the area of Danforth and Wolfe Avenues searching for 47-year-old Jim Dimce Kaluzovski, one of four suspects wanted in a Dec. 6 brazen daytime robbery at a Scarborough electronics store in which an off-duty police officer was stabbed.

Investigators say they saw Kaluzovski driving the stolen cube van and attempted to stop the vehicle. Kaluzovski refused and “purposely accelerated into two police vehicles,” with one police officer suffering minor injuries in the process. Police say Kaluzovski then struck other vehicles as he fled the scene with another man inside the truck. It was later learned that the second man had been abducted at gunpoint earlier in the day and forced into the vehicle.

Police say they continued to follow the stolen truck “at a safe distance” while also using the services of the York Regional Police helicopter which began tracking the truck from the air, through Durham Region and back into Toronto.

As the truck briefly slowed to make a turn at Kennedy and Ellesmere Roads, the man who had been abducted at gunpoint jumped from the truck. He did not sustain any serious injuries, according to police.

“The accused continued to drive recklessly, at high speeds, running multiple red lights, driving onto sidewalks, into oncoming traffic, and hitting several vehicles and a cyclist,” police said in a release on Thursday.

Investigators confirmed the U-Haul caused a three-vehicle crash on Adelaide, west of Spadina that involved an ETF vehicle, an SUV and a Beck taxi.

According to police Kaluzovski struck an unmarked police car in the area of Yonge and Jordan Streets when he purposely put the truck into reverse. The officer was not injured in the crash.

As the stolen truck approached the Carlton and Church Streets area, members of the Emergency Task Force blocked him in and arrested Kaluzovski without any further incident or injuries.

An airsoft pistol was later recovered from the scene.

As a result of Wednesday’s actions, Kaluzovski is facing a total of 28 charges including four counts of assault with a weapon, kidnapping, seven counts of dangerous operation and eight counts of leaving the scene of an accident.

Kaluzovski is also facing an additional eight charges, including assaulting a police officer, in connection with the robbery at the Scarborough Best Buy store a few weeks ago.

The officer suffered serious injuries after he was stabbed in the wrist while trying to intervene during the robbery as the suspects tried to walk out of the store without paying for a high-end TV. Police are still searching for three other suspects in connection with that investigation.

Files from Michael Talbot were used in this report