East London home struck by stolen vehicle

There were some scary moments for families in an east London neighbourhood Tuesday evening after a stolen van ripped through East Lions Park and crashed into multiple houses.

The van finally came to rest after crashing into the side brick wall of a home at the corner of Churchill Avenue and Manitoba Street.

Neighbour Nick Lindsay says he heard a crash from inside then came out to investigate.

“The guy hit the pole over here so I came running out,” explained Lindsay. “The guy up the street was coming out to and he said that he just saw him fly by. So we’re waiting and he went down Churchill. Lost sight of him for just a minute or so… Next thing you know he went right into the field here at East Lions and ripped around the fields. All the kids were playing around. Mothers were chasing their kids. Doing burnouts all over the field. Flipped out toward the community centre there. And then he did a loop, came right down this pathway at maybe 70 kilometres an hour, and then just right into the side of that house.”

In the meantime, East Lions Park was marked with yellow police tape Tuesday night. Tire tracks could be seen leading up the rear path of the park from Churchill towards the community centre. Damaged trees and poles were also visible. A police canine unit scoured the area.

Crews work to remove a van after it crashed into the side of at east London home on Feb. 27, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)Lindsay says he and other neighbours apprehended a suspect before police arrived.

“Yeah jumped out of his sprinter van. He went running into the field and then I chased him down. Two other guys, we all kind of circled him. He got tackled and then cops came and pretty much arrested him from there.”

Police say nobody was hurt in the incident. Two males have been arrested, according to acting Sgt. Sandasha Bough, the incident began after a man reported being robbed of his vehicle in east London around 5:50 p.m. Tuesday.

“The vehicle struck multiple houses as well as city property before a driver was arrested,” said Bough. “We did arrest a second individual as well in relation to this ongoing investigation, and it’s been reassigned to members of our street crime unit.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police. 

A portion of East Lions Park in London is taped off by police after a vehicle reported stolen drove through the park and into the side of a home on Feb. 27, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

London police are investigating after a stolen van crashed into the side of an east London home on Feb. 27, 2024. (Source: Krishna Memmollu)