Update: Suspect flees after multiple hit-and-run collisions on Highway 401
Editorial note: This article has been updated since it was originally published. Please see bottom of article for latest updates.
A suspect driving a stolen vehicle who struck multiple other vehicles on Highway 401 became the subject of a manhunt on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
Around 7 a.m., police received reports of a vehicle striking other vehicles on the province’s busiest highway. The incidents occurred on the stretch of the 401 between Napanee and Kingston, with the driver exiting the highway and entering Kingston. The driver then ditched the vehicle in the parking lot of New Life Church at the corner of Bayridge and Creekford Roads.
There, multiple Kingston Police and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) vehicles could be seen, with officers combing the area, apparently searching for the driver. The vehicle, a white GMC SUV that sustained significant damage from the activity on the highway, was left with the driver’s side front door open in the parking lot of the church, all airbags deployed. According to the OPP, that vehicle was stolen.
The OPP then brought in a canine unit and appeared to be tracking the suspect in the area around the west-end church. Officers on scene confirmed police were looking for a suspect that had struck multiple vehicles on Highway 401.
“We have no information this individual poses a threat to the public,” said Acting Sargeant Aaron Miller, Media Coordinator for the OPP East Region.
Police are asking anyone who may have information, or anyone who may have dashcam footage of the suspect and/or suspect vehicle, to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Update:
Just before noon, the OPP provided the following information:
Members of the Lennox and Addington (L&A) County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect involved in a hit and run with a stolen vehicle.
On September 14, 2023, just before 7:00 a.m., officers responded to a vehicle that had been struck on Hwy 401 eastbound by Shorey Road. There were no injuries to any occupants of the vehicle struck. The suspect vehicle, a white GMC Yukon fled the scene. Several officers responded to the area to locate the suspect vehicle. Officers located the suspect vehicle a short time later at Creekford Road and Bayridge Drive in Kingston with no one in the vehicle. The driver had fled on foot and was not located by police. The suspect vehicle was determined to have been stolen from York Region.
There is currently no description of the suspect. There is no danger to the public.
Anyone that may have seen the suspect vehicle driver, or has surveillance video of the incident is asked to contact L&A County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS) or you can submit a tip to Crime Stoppers at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.