Charges in dangerous chase

Last Thursday morning, a car zoomed past Jennifer Doherty, who was driving through Kahnawake territory toward the Mercier Bridge in rush-hour traffic – she estimates the vehicle was going 160 KM/H or more, with four feet of metal hanging off it flapping in the wind.

She called her husband right away and contemplated calling 911 to let them know about the alarming sight. That’s when, mere seconds later, she saw multiple Peacekeepers’ vehicles on the shoulder in pursuit of the speeding car, which had been in the centre lane.

“I just saw this car go by me, and as I was on the phone with him the Peacekeepers went by, and I’m like ‘Oh my god, this is a high-speed chase.’” she said.

“It was pretty crazy. A lot of excitement during a morning drive to the Mercier.”

The incident kicked off when the Peacekeepers saw a Honda CR-V use the turning lane to pass vehicles on Highway 132, returning to regular traffic. However, the traffic stop was anything but routine when the driver responded by peeling away.

It wove through the village area, Route 207, and Highway 30 at dangerous speeds, colliding with several civilian and Peacekeeper vehicles, according to a press release.

“I saw there were at least four or five cars on the ramp that were just pulled over; they must have been part of the incident because you can’t really fit three cars,” said Doherty.

A pursuit was called off, with officers instead following at a distance without sirens until re-engaging the chase when it was deemed in the interest of public safety.

“Because the vehicle was driving so aggressively, the officers were unable to maintain a visual, but were still able to locate him,” said Peacekeepers spokesperson Kyle Zachary.

Zachary would not elaborate on the department’s protocol for high-speed chases, but officers acted appropriately, he said.

At one point, the driver let out a passenger and a child in Ste. Catherine; the passenger was arrested by Rousillion Police. None of the people involved were local, according to Zachary.

The chase ended on the Mercier Bridge, and the arrest followed a brief struggle, according to the Peacekeepers. The press release also notes that four officers suffered minor injuries, and Zachary confirmed the suspect also had minor injuries.

“All received medical attention. There is no information about injuries to any other civilians,” Zachary said.

Kristoff Seales faces charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop following a collision, flight from a peace officer, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer with intent to resist arrest, resisting arrest, failure to comply with a release order, and possession of a controlled substance.

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Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter