Charges laid in fatal crash where SUV rammed into drop-in centre
Posted Jun 22, 2026 03:37:37 PM.
Last Updated Jun 22, 2026 03:40:00 PM.
Ottawa police laid charges against a 38-year-old in connection with a crash that saw a vehicle collide with a building, killing a man and seriously injuring three others.
On Feb. 25, firefighters were the first to arrive on scene after an SUV struck the Capital City Mission drop-in centre in the 500 block of Rideau Street. Four pedestrians and the driver were take to hospital. A man in his 70s sustained life-threatening injuries and later died.
Abdelkader Amorouayeche, 38, is facing charges of careless driving causing death and two counts of careless driving causing bodily harm.
Two men, who were also pedestrians, sustained critical injuries. A woman, also a pedestrian, had non-life-threatening injuries and was sent to hospital in stable condition. The driver of the SUV was in stable condition.
Witnesses heard a loud crash
Feras Jarmans, an employee of a nearby shawarma restaurant, told The Canadian Press he heard the loud crash of the SUV colliding with the building, and watched as the driver left the vehicle visibly shaken.
“He got on the ground and he just starts crying,” Jarmans said. “In three or four minutes police came, and they closed the street for the investigation.”
Nick DeFazio, public information officer with Ottawa fire, said that the building sustained significant damage. The structural collapse team responded and assessed the situation, saying the building needed shoring.
