OPP officers hit by vehicle fleeing street racing gathering

A 19-year-old from Ottawa is facing criminal charges after a street racing gathering during which two Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers were hit.

Ottawa OPP say its aerial unit observed a large gathering of vehicles in the area of Moodie Drive and Dibblee Road shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday.

One vehicle was seen doing burnouts, followed by several cars engaged in drag racing.

Police say two vehicles started street-racing and officers attempted to stop them. One vehicle stopped, while the other struck two OPP officers and fled.

No serious injuries were reported.

The driver of the vehicle was tracked and later stopped by OPP.

As a result, the teen is now facing a list of charges, including:

• Two counts of assault a peace officer with a weapon;
• Dangerous operation; 
• Flight from peace officer; 
• Race a motor vehicle; 
• Perform stunt; 
• Obstruct plate; 
• Driving with cannabis readily available
• Fail to display two plates; 
• Colour coating obscuring interior; and 
• Drive vehicle with cannabis readily available

The driver also had their license suspended for 30 days and their vehicle impounded for 14 days.

The driver is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

The driver who did stop also faces charges under the Highway Traffic Act.

Other dangerous driving charges

It was a busy day for OPP who laid numerous other dangerous driving charges.

Officers say they observed two motorcycles driving at high speeds on Highway 417 and 416. The drivers were tracked by OPP aircraft, which recorded them at speeds of up to 230 km/h.

The plan followed the motorcyclists off the highway and through Barrhaven where one driver was successfully tracked to a residence.

The Anthony Najm, 20, of Barrhaven now faces charges of:

• Dangerous driving;
• Stunt driving;
• Speeding;
• No insurance;
• Use a licence plate not authorized; and
• Driving a motorcycle with no motorcycle licence.

Officers on the ground also charged a G2 driver with stunt driving after clocking in at 185 km/h on Highway 417. A 37-year-old was charged with improper use of an HOV lane after being stopped travelling 55 km/h over the speed limit.

“This was an outstanding example of teamwork, with a goal of making our highways and streets safer,” a media release from OPP states. “This involved not only officers on the ground and in the air, but also excellent work by our OPP Communications Centre professionals.”