POLICE CHASE AND HWY. 11 CRASH LEAD TO TWO SEPARATE POLICE CHARGES YESTERDAY

SOUTH MUSKOKA — Calls from the public have led to a pair of serious driving charges yesterday morning and afternoon — one involving a weapon and a flight from police arrest in Bracebridge; while the other resulted in a car smashing into a guard rail on just onto Hwy. 11 in Gravenhurst and landing near the Esso gas pumps next to the Hortons later in mid day.

The first occurrence Sunday came from a series of driving complaints.

On November 19, at 7:20 a.m., officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Muskoka Road 118 after observing a dark coloured Acura travelling in an unsafe manner on Manitoba Street and Monck Road in Bracebridge.

Due to the increased risk present to other motorists and pedestrians, officers chose to not pursue the vehicle after obtaining some identifying features.

A short time later, police received similar calls for service regarding the unsafe driving behaviour of the same vehicle in the Port Carling area and then in the area of the Wahta Convenience Store on Kanien’keha:ka Iohatatie, the main road between Muskoka Road 169 and Hwy. 400.

Officers continued to search for the vehicle and located it at 8:45 a.m. on Go Home Lake Road in Georgian Bay Township.

Police arrested the driver, 26-year-old Justin Sukhara, of Bracebridge.

He is charged with:

  • Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle CC 320.13(1)
  • Flight from Peace Officer CC 320.17 X 2
  • Unauthorized Possession of a Weapon CC 91(2)

Sukhara is to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge on January 9, 2024.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information or dashcam footage of the involved vehicle is asked to call Bracebridge OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Later in the afternoon, OPP charged another person after a collision in Gravenhurst.

Also November 19, at 3:40 p.m., police, Muskoka EMS and Gravenhurst Fire received several emergency calls regarding a vehicle that had been driving in a concerning manner and had collided with a median on Hwy. 11 South just south of Gravenhurst.

The driver of the vehicle was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police have charged 23-year-old Edward Buck, of Bradford-West Gwillimbury, with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle CC 320.(1)(a).

Buck is to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge on January 9, 2024.

Police called off a chase in Bracebridge before charging a suspect they found in Wahta early Sunday. Later that afternoon another driver was arrested after crashing into the parking lot of the Esso and Tim Hortons just of Gravenhurst about 3:40 p.m.