A 21-year-old Springfield, N.S., man is facing charges after allegedly striking a police vehicle during a traffic stop on Friday. Police say an officer was driving eastbound in a marked police vehicle on Highway 3 when a vehicle pulled out abruptly from the left side of the road without yielding to the marked police car, which had the right of way around 7:10 p.m. “The officer then observed that the car, a Volkswagen Jetta, was swerving on the road, hitting the right shoulder and crossing the centre line. When the officer attempted a traffic stop, the Jetta did not stop and accelerated away from the police vehicle,” read a news release from the Nova Scotia RCMP. In the interest of public safety, police say the officer did not pursue the car but shared the vehicle description and direction of travel with other officers in the area. Officers located the car on Highway 103 and watched it pull over to the shoulder of the road. When an officer stopped a second marked police vehicle in front of the Jetta, police say the driver accelerated forward slowly and struck the parked police car. The driver and passenger of the Jetta were arrested. At the time of the arrest, police say officers observed open alcohol in the vehicle and suspected that the driver was impaired by alcohol. The driver provided a roadside breath sample which resulted in a “fail.” The driver was later released by police pending a future court appearance. He will face driving-related Criminal Code charges and was issued several summary offence tickets under the Nova Scotia Traffic Safety Act. The passenger was released without charges. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
