A man crashed a rental car into a large tree after nearly hitting pedestrians on a busy Vancouver street this afternoon.
On Sunday (Aug. 8) around 2 p.m., Tyler Nielson, 35, tells Vancouver Is Awesome that he was standing at the corner of West Hastings Street and Abbott when police raced eastbound down Hastings.
Moments later, Nielson says he saw an Evo car driving at a high rate of speed [approx 80-90 km/h] heading west down Hastings. The driver made an abrupt turn south onto Abbott Street when "he crashed Into a large tree and parking meters."
He adds that the vehicle "nearly struck Pedestrians on the side walk" when the driver crashed.
Following the crash, the driver jumped out of the car and ran down an alley with police in pursuit, he describes. Police then arrested the suspect.
Vancouver Police cordoned off a section of the sidewalk on Abbot street as well as a section of West Hastings Street following the incident.
V.I.A. has reached out to the VPD for comment.
