Halifax RCMP charge man with assaulting a peace officer following collision in Lake Echo

Halifax District RCMP charged a man with numerous offences following an incident at a checkpoint on Hwy. 7 on October 7, 2023.

Police say that at around 3:10 p.m., officers were conducting traffic enforcement at a checkpoint when a GMC Terrain briefly stopped and then fled. RCMP officers attempted to catch up to the vehicle and located it on Linda Lane.

"RCMP officers attempted to complete a traffic stop but the driver of the vehicle, now traveling on the dead-end street, refused to comply. A passenger then exited the vehicle and fled on foot while the driver turned the GMC around one police vehicle and collided head-on with another," police said in a release.

A 33-year-old Cole Harbour woman, the front passenger of the GMC, suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital by EHS.

The passenger who fled on foot, a 34-year-old Lake Echo man, was uninjured and returned to the scene of the collision and spoke with police.

The RCMP officer driving the police vehicle suffered minor injuries.

The driver of the GMC was safely arrested and taken to hospital by EHS for minor injuries suffered in the collision.

Police say officers observed that the driver displayed signs of impairment, but the diver refused to provide a blood sample after being given the Blood Demand. Police also say the driver also initially falsely identified himself to officers.

39-year-old John William MacDonnell, of Dartmouth, has been charged with:
• Dangerous Operation of a Conveyance Causing Bodily Harm;
• Flight from Police;
• Failure to Stop at the Scene of an Accident Involving Bodily Harm;
• Impaired Operation of a Conveyance Causing Bodily Harm;
• Refusal of a Demand;
• Assault with a Weapon;
• Assaulting a Peace Officer;
• Obstructing a Peace Officer (2 counts);

MacDonnell was held in custody and is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on October 10.