Accused impaired novice driver fled arresting officer in Ajax, police say

A man accused of driving drunk through Ajax allegedly fled from the officer who arrested him.

The officer was out on patrol around midnight on Dec. 21 when he spotted a car “driving erratically” near Salem Road and Rossland Road. They attempted to pull the car over but the driver sped off instead.

After a brief pursuit, the car crashed into the curb. Police report the driver hopped out and ran from the crash site. The officer chased him down on foot and quickly arrested them.

They took the driver, who was showing signs of impairment, to a Durham Police station. The driver, 21, provided two breath samples and was found to be over the legal blood alcohol limit.

He’s been charged with:

• flight from police
• impaired driving,
• impaired driving with excessive blood-alcohol concentration,
• driving as a novice with blood-alcohol concentration above zero, and
• possession of fentanyl

Anyone with information can call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1901 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).