Aaron Thompson was working away at the Brock Road Garage Tirecraft Guelph Centre in the city’s south end Thursday afternoon when all hell broke loose.
The auto technician and his coworkers heard a loud bang around 12:30 p.m. and turned around to see a late model white Volkswagen Jetta airborne, coming to rest against the sign of a plaza at 1499 Gordon St., just north of Lowes Road.
“I heard some tire screeches, then a big bang. As I heard the big bang I looked over and there was a car airborne going up into the sign,” said Thompson. “I immediately dropped my tools and ran up to see if they were doing okay.”
Then things changed in a hurry.
A police car pulled up almost immediately after the impact, an officer jumping out pointing what Thompson said was “either a gun or a Taser” in the direction of the crashed vehicle.
Then a person jumped out of the driver's side of the crashed car with a bandana covering his face.
“He had something in his hand that he pulled out of his hoodie that looked like a weapon and started running in our direction,” Thompson said.
“When we saw something in his hand we immediately thought ‘oh crap,’ and ran back into the shop and kinda’ hid.”
That person ran off into an empty lot behind the plaza. Thompson said several other police cars were quick to arrive on the scene and the man that ran off was apprehended a short time later.
Thompson said after the man ran off police first arrested a second passenger in the back seat of the vehicle without incident but the driver of the car started struggling with police as they tried to place him under arrest.
“They couldn’t get him contained. He was still trying to fight the cops. There was five or six cops on him and they finally got him on the ground and pinned down. They were just holding him down, they weren't doing anything wrong.”
Eventually the man was subdued and taken to hospital by ambulance with what is reportedly a leg injury.
At one point there was reportedly money spilled out on the ground around the vehicle.
“It was pretty intense,” Thompson said. "Within a matter of seconds there was multiple cops here. it wasn't what I was expecting to see today, that's for sure."
Because of the injury the province’s Special Investigations Unit was called in to investigate and Guelph Police said they will be making no more comment on the case.
Police did say they arrested three men after responding to a bank robbery at the Royal Bank in the plaza at the Kortright Road and Gordon Street, roughly two kilometres north of where the vehicle crashed.
“Police responded and as a result three individuals are in custody in relation to this robbery,” said a police statement.
The Special Investigations Unit tweeted that it was investigating a “serious injury” in relation to a bank robbery and arrest.
SIU investigators headed to Guelph to investigate serious injury that occurred in relation to a bank robbery and arrest. Details to follow.
— SIU (@SIUOntario) August 3, 2017
The car remained resting against the sign post later in the afternoon, a Guelph Police cruiser and unmarked car parked nearby as they waited for the Special Investigations Unit to show up.
At the Royal Bank the branch was closed, a security officer seen looking out a side window, a Guelph Police cruiser parked outside in the parking lot.
Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to contact D/Sgt. Dave Guest at 519-824-1212 at extension 7431. Anonymous tips can be left at CRIME STOPPERS 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.csgw.tips.
