Hamilton police officers seriously injured by driver fleeing RIDE check

Two seriously injured police officers are awaiting surgery after they were struck by a driver fleeing a RIDE check on the Claremont Access late Friday night.

Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen said Saturday investigators are still searching for the hit-and-run suspect who later abandoned a red SUV - the same vehicle that rammed a police cruiser in a separate incident earlier in the day.

This is a stark reminder about the dangers of our job," said Bergen in an interview, adding both officers suffered concussions, cuts and multiple" broken bones. It's a realization again about what is the impact of being a police officer ... but the reality is (our) officers continue to come into work, continue to serve our city and we thank them for that."

Bergen said police had been speaking to motorists as part of impaired driving checks New Year's Eve in the upbound lanes of the escarpment access around 11 p.m. when a waiting SUV suddenly pulled out of line and drove through the checkpoint, hitting two officers.

Both officers were knocked unconscious.

Police did not identify the officers, but Bergen said he stayed with the pair at Hamilton General hospital until around 2 a.m. and they were comfortable" while awaiting an update on needed surgery to repair broken bones.

We are hoping recovery is on the horizon, but they have gone through some difficult hours," he said.

Police are seeking the hit-and-run suspect who abandoned a Hyundai Santa Fe in the Inverness Avenue and Belair Drive area. Investigators were canvassing the neighbourhood for witnesses or video footage this morning and urging area residents to check security camera footage from around 11 p.m.

Police were already hunting for that same SUV - a rental from the Toronto area - after a driver rammed a police cruiser to flee an attempted arrest earlier in the day Friday.

In that case, officers responded to reports of a driver asleep at the wheel with a bong on their lap in the area of Fennell Avenue and Hoover Crescent. Police tried to pin the vehicle, but the driver awoke and rammed the cruiser before driving away at high speed.

Bergen said it was too early to say whether the same driver was involved in both incidents.

No other suspect information has been released yet, but Bergen urged the driver to find a lawyer and contact police. We will be dogged in this investigation."

Police are urging anyone with information about the RIDE incident, including security camera footage, to call investigators at (905) 546-4925.