A man suspected of stealing a sports car was no match for London police.
It all began around 1:50 a.m. Tuesday when a London police officer spotted damage to the exterior of a car dealership on Wharncliffe Road South. Upon investigating, the officer spotted a man removing a licence plate from a vehicle in the parking lot. The man was then seen driving off in a 2019 Dodge Challenger, which was later determined to have been stolen from that dealership.
Additional officers searched for the Challenger and found it at around 3:30 a.m in a parking lot on Exeter Road. The driver almost struck a police officer and took off again. Officers then followed the Challenger and notified the OPP, St. Thomas Police Service, and Aylmer Police Service.
Soon after, Aylmer officers informed their London counterparts that the Challenger was seen travelling east on Ron McNeil Line. A tire deflation device was deployed, and the car was stopped on Ron McNeil Line at Imperial Road in Elgin County.
The man tried to run away but was eventually tracked down and apprehended by a London K-9 officer and Police Service Dog Ryker.
Connor David Andrew Smith, 28, is charged with possession of stolen property over $5000, public mischief, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and failure to comply with a release order. Smith was in police custody and was due to appear in a London courtroom Tuesday. These charges have yet to be proven.
The case has been turned over to the London police's Street Crime Unit.