THUNDER BAY — A 32-year-old individual is facing criminal charges after attempting to take a police cruiser while Thunder Bay Police Service officers were investigating an unrelated assault near Cumberland and Tupper streets Thursday afternoon.
An adult male approached an unmarked police vehicle and an officer told the male the road was closed and he would have to go around.
However, the suspect then went into the driver's seat and tried to take the vehicle.
The officer removed the suspect from the vehicle with the help of another officer.
The man was arrested and charged with theft of a motor vehicle, assaulting police, resisting arrest and failing to comply with probation.
After a court appearance on Friday, the accused remains in custody with a future appearance date.
Stealing any vehicle, including a police cruiser, is a serious offence. If convicted, the accused could face up to 10 years in jail, with a minimum of six months if it's a third or subsequent offence.
It is Newswatch policy not to name people facing criminal accusations when we are unlikely to follow the case to its conclusion in the courts.
