Concerned citizens detain impaired driver who caused series of crashes

Ontario Provincial Police cruiser with lights flashing - File Image. (OPP Central Region)

A group of concerned citizens are credited with protecting the public after stopping an impaired driver near Highway 400 on Friday.

According to the OPP, the communication centre began receiving calls about a small brown SUV driving dangerously, causing several collisions with other vehicles travelling northbound on Highway 400 in Georgian Bay Township.

According to the OPP, the suspect eventually pulled the heavily damaged vehicle to the side of the highway near the off-ramp of white Falls Road, and the driver, who appeared intoxicated, exited and stopped traffic.

Police say concerned citizens stopped their vehicles, exited and physically detained the suspect to prevent him from harming himself or others. 

Police then arrived on the scene to find a group of people holding the driver to the ground, with one person hit with a tire wrench.

Police arrested the driver and transported him to the detachment, where the accused refused to provide a breath sample.

During the investigation, the accused also assaulted and threatened a police officer.

Further investigation revealed that the accused did not have consent to operate the motor vehicle being driven and was bound by a probation order at the time of the incident.

As a result of this investigation, a 29-year-old from Tay Township faces several charges related to impaired driving and dangerous operation, along with assaulting a peace officer.