Pickup's tires flattened, pursuit ends along Niagara Parkway 

Police shot and killed a man in Niagara-on-the-Lake Tuesday after a chase that started in Niagara Falls.

The province's Special Investigations Unit has been called in to investigate the incident, which ended when the suspect's vehicle ran off the road on the Niagara Parkway at Line 3, near Inniskillin Wines.

Multiple sources told The Lake Report the shooting occurred after a police chased a red pickup truck at high speed from near Lundy's Lane all the way to NOTL.

Witnesses said police spike belts to disable the vehicle. One unconfirmed report claimed the truck drove at officers while trying to escape.

Police said the man, who has not yet been identified, reportedly fled on foot after his truck hit the ditch. He was shot and then “transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries where he was pronounced deceased.”

On Wednesday, Niagara Regional Police said a woman was arrested at the scene and faces a number of charges.

Lindsey Archer, 29, of Dundas, Ont., was charged with possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, obstructing police and drug possession.

Two Niagara police officers were injured at the scene, treated for minor injuries in hospital and released.

The officers were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and have since been released.

NOTL resident Jennifer Ruttan was working at Dawland Landscape Maintenance near Line 6 Road when she saw the truck pass on the Parkway.

“I was outside the shop when I heard the sirens. Saw the red truck with flat tires … you could hear them. He was being followed by nine police vehicles, two of them Niagara Parks Police,” she said.

“We could hear the sirens and figured they stopped him by or on Line 3 because the sirens didn't sound to be getting further. Saw two fire trucks go by within a few minutes.”

Several NOTL residents reported seeing cruisers, some unmarked, travelling at high speed through town at the time of the incident.

Rene Bertschi said, “It was like watching a video on one of the social media networks with police cars racing down highways with sirens and lights flashing to stop some traffic violation subject.”

Eastbound on York Road at Four Mile Creek Road in St. Davids, he was about to turn left toward Virgil.

“I noticed a red pickup truck coming from the west, passing all the standing cars on the left lane at high speed toward the intersection. To my surprise, everyone at the corner stopped as this truck raced through the stop sign,” he told The Lake Report.

“I thought, 'What a moron,' but a few seconds later, two police cars followed to pursue the red truck, leaving us in a state of shock before all of us continued on our daily routines,” Bertschi said. 

Niagara Regional, Niagara Parks and OPP officers were all involved in the pursuit at some point, witnesses reported.

Officers were originally called to the area of Lundy’s Lane and Corwin Avenue in Niagara Falls after someone reported two people sleeping in a vehicle, the SIU said in a news release.

When police arrived, the vehicle fled and officers followed, “making numerous attempts to stop it,” the investigators said.

Four investigators and three forensic investigators have been assigned to the case. One Niagara Regional officer has been designated as a subject officer and two officers with the regional police and two from Niagara Parks Police have been designated as witness officers, the SIU said. 

Freelance reporter Andrew Collins posted a video of the incident on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YmJe-Z4TW9M?t=40