Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have laid several charges against a 37-year-old Englehart man following a road rage incident that occurred earlier this week in Temiskaming Shores.
Dashcam footage of the incident, which went viral on social media, shows the victim calling 911 as he tried to escape from a white Toyota Rav 4 SUV that had already crashed into his car several times on Route 11.
Provincial police say the incident happened on Routes 11 and 65 shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday, December 30.
After the collisions, the PPO said he tried several times to stop the suspect’s vehicle. She had to deploy a nailed bar to immobilize the vehicle and arrest the driver.
The man now faces charges of dangerous operation of a vehicle, resisting arrest, assault with a weapon on a police officer and disobeying a court order.
Officer Martin Thibault of the Temiskaming detachment of the PPO indicates that the police force encounters road rage incidents from time to time, but that this case is different.
This is not a situation that is similar to what we generally see. This is a situation where the individual had other problems as well. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries
he said.
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The officer says the defendant and victim were treated for minor injuries caused by the incident.
The accused is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Haileybury on January 6.
The Temiskaming detachment of the PPO is asking for the public’s help in locating anyone with video footage related to the collisions and erratic driving of the SUV involved in this incident.
Road rage cases stable in Sudbury
In Sudbury, the number of road rage incidents reported to police has remained stable in recent years.
A total of 125 road rage incidents were reported in 2024, 2 more than in 2023 and 5 more than in 2022.
Greater Sudbury Police spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn said in an email to CBC that drivers can take several precautions to avoid becoming victims of road rage.
These include avoiding last-minute lane changes, letting faster motorists pass, and avoiding honking horns whenever possible.
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In 2024, 125 cases of road rage were reported to Sudbury police.
Photo : - / Jan Lakes
If a road rage incident leads to a collision, Dunn says it’s important for the victim to remain calm so as not to make the situation worse.
If a driver was so angry that they caused an accident, stay in your vehicle until law enforcement arrives
she suggests.
You don’t want the situation to get worse by being the victim of an attack. If you must get out of your vehicle due to a gas leak or other hazards, stay away from the other driver and try to stay in a public area.
Ms Dunn adds that it is important to take note of the other driver’s physical description if possible, as aggressive drivers may not stop at the scene of an accident.
With information from Miguelle-Éloïse Lachance and CBC
