Nanaimo RCMP are looking for a suspect who allegedly purposely collided with a police cruiser, sending an RCMP member to hospital.

The incident happened Friday, March 7, at about 9 p.m. at University Village Mall in Harewood, near the Buy Low Foods grocery store. 

B次元官网网址淲hat our officer saw was a [licence] plate that didnB次元官网网址檛 match the vehicle,B次元官网网址� said reserve Const. Gary OB次元官网网址橞rien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson. B次元官网网址淭he vehicle in question was a Chevy Impala, but the plates came back to a Mercedes.B次元官网网址�

When the officer tried to block the suspect car from leaving its parking stall, the driver allegedly backed the car into the police vehicle and fled at a high rate of speed. 

B次元官网网址淭hat exchange caused our police officerB次元官网网址檚 head to hit the side window,B次元官网网址� OB次元官网网址橞rien said. B次元官网网址淗e was later taken to hospital for treatment and released.B次元官网网址� 

The officer followed the suspect vehicle for a short distance before deciding the risk to the public by giving chase outweighed the benefit of stopping the vehicle, OB次元官网网址橞rien said, so the pursuit was dropped. 

Multiple police officers took up the search for the suspect vehicle and a short time later police receive a report that a vehicle had gone over a retaining wall and crashed at a property on Urbains Place in south Nanaimo near Eighth Street and Park Avenue. When police arrived, they discovered it was the suspect vehicle that had fled from the officer in the mall parking lot with an injured person who was a passenger in the vehicle. 

B次元官网网址淣ext to the vehicle was an adult with serious injuries,B次元官网网址� OB次元官网网址橞rien said. B次元官网网址淭hat person was taken to hospital. The driver was not found. Information from the investigation has led us to believe we know who the driver is, but that person has not been located at this point.B次元官网网址�

OB次元官网网址橞rien said the driver of the car will be facing multiple charges under the criminal code and the motor vehicle act.

Anyone who has direct knowledge about the incident or knows the identity of the driver is asked to call the Nanaim RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.