Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a suspect involved in a serious crash near downtown London that sent four people to hospital on Wednesday afternoon. The incident began when officers spotted a black pickup truck near King and Maitland streets with a person riding in its bed. When police attempted a traffic stop, the driver sped off.
Moments later, the same pickup collided with an SUV at the intersection of William Street and Queens Avenue around 3 p.m. The impact left a 45-year-old passenger in the truck with serious injuries and sent two elderly occupants of the SUV — a 70-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman — to hospital. The woman remains in life-threatening condition. A fourth individual suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the pickup fled the crash scene on foot and remains at large. London police are actively searching for the suspect.
Due to the police interaction prior to the crash, Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is now overseeing the case. As of Thursday morning, the crash site remained cordoned off with visible wreckage, including the damaged pickup and an overturned black car. Investigators were reconstructing the scene using drones and other tools.
The crash occurred near a busy area where people are known to camp outside the London Cares facility, which provides essential services like food and healthcare.