Early-morning damage derby disrupts commute, knocks out power
Posted Oct 27, 2011 05:55:53 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Halifax police are looking for the suspect who stole a truck and went on a joyride this morning, causing damage to two power poles, a police cruiser and a fire hydrant.
The carnage knocked power out to about 1800 people in Halifax and is causing major backups on the morning commute, with traffic at a near-standstill on several major arteries including North Street, the Circumferential Highway, and the Bedford Highway.
Police say an officer came upon a vehicle crashed into a light pole at North and Wood street around 5 a.m. Thursday.
“As he approached the vehicle, the vehicle backed up, struck the police vehicle and then took off,” Staff Sgt. Bill Morris told News 95.7.
In trying to follow the suspect, police came across a damaged fire hydrant and a second broken light pole at Chebucto and Beech streets.
Police said neither of the broken poles was lying in the street and that one was leaning in toward a residence.
The suspect vehicle was found abandoned at Connolly and Seaforth.
“He left us a path of destruction. It doesn’t appear that anyone was hurt, but we do have a power outage in the north end at this time,” Morris said just before 6 a.m.
Motorists trying to negotiate the area during the morning commute are advised to treat intersections without working traffic lights as four-way stops.
Police cruisers or Nova Scotia power crews may be working in the affected areas and major delays are already being reported, particularly along North Street.
Nova Scotia Power reported nearly 1,800 customers were affected by the outage, which ended just after 8 a.m.
