A video from social media shows a white transport truck off the road and pulled over by police after a chase down the Trans-Canada Highway. Police have since charged with William Morris of Bishop’s Falls with theft of the vehicle and impaired driving. (Kim Collins/Facebook Video)
A Bishop’s Falls man is facing impaired driving charges and is accused of stealing a transport truck before taking it on the Trans-Canada Highway, triggering a pursuit involving police across central Newfoundland.
Police arrested William Morris, 39, shortly before 6:30 p.m. NT on Saturday inside Terra Nova National Park, according to a news release from the RCMP.
Officers first engaged when reports came in about a stolen transport truck being operated by a suspected impaired driver. The truck was missing its trailer and was seen heading east toward Lewisporte, police said Monday.
The driver repeatedly failed to stop for police, the news release said, even continuing when a spike belt flattened the truck’s tires.
Kim Collins caught the arrest on video, and told CBC News she was glad no one was hurt.
“It could have been a whole lot worse because there was nobody killed. So that’s that’s very lucky,” she said.
Once the truck was stopped, police said Morris was removed from the vehicle and showed signs of impairment. Open alcohol was also found inside the truck, a police statement said.
Video taken on social media shows several officers on the driver after he was pulled from the car.
Morris was scheduled to appear in court Monday.
He faces charges of theft of a vehicle, flight from police, two counts of dangerous operation, refusing a breathalyzer, and failure to comply with a condition of release order.
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