Motorist smashes through storefront

By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com

A 76-year-old man drove through the storefront of Village des Valeurs in Chomedey, around 1 p.m., Dec. 10.

“It appears to be pedal error,” Laval Police Sgt. Frédéric Jean told The Suburban.

“Nothing seemed to be wrong with the vehicle. “One person was lacerated by broken glass. Otherwise no one was seriously injured.

Laval firefighters were called to the scene to check whether the building was structurally safe.

Less than a month ago, an 80-year-old woman was involved in a similar accident.

Investigators believed that she mistook the accelerator and brake pedals. She lost control of her car and smashed through the front of a Chomedey daycare, injuring three toddlers.

The past three months have also seen three Laval seniors perish in pedestrian accidents. Inattention or distraction was a factor in two of those fatalities.

Victim jumps getaway car

Two white men aged 28-30, driving a red, four-door Nissan Sentra stopped to offer a pedestrian visiting Laval a lift, Dec. 9, near the intersection of Labelle and 80th.

“It was a chilly night, and they offered the 30-year-old Laurentians resident a lift,” Sgt. Jean said. “Once inside, they told him to give them his wallet.”

“They dropped him off after he gave them $40,” he continued. “The victim wasn’t happy, though, and tried to prevent the suspects from leaving. He held on to the hood of their car, which started to drive away, though not at high velocity. He held on for a couple of hundred feet before getting off shaken but uninjured. He now knows better than to accept a ride from strangers in Laval.”

Thief should have buckled up

An undone seat belt led to the arrest of a truck thief, Dec. 5.

“Two officers noticed that the driver of a Ford F-350 pickup truck wasn’t wearing his seat belt,” recalled Sgt. Jean. “When they checked his license plate number before intercepting him, they discovered that the truck had been stolen in Montreal a few days earlier.”

“When a backup cruiser arrived and turned on his emergency lights, the driver fled,” he said, “leading to a pursuit at about 140 km/h, which is high-speed for a truck.”

Laval Police cruisers chased the truck along highways 19 and 440 through Terrebonne.

“After losing control and hitting a curb in Mascouche, the driver fled on foot and was intercepted after a short pursuit,” Sgt. Jean added.

Police have charged Frédérick Lapointe, 20, with the theft.