Vancouver police say the driver of a rideshare car sped through a traffic stop into oncoming traffic and collided with a cyclist over the weekend.
On Sunday (Aug. 8) around 2 p.m., Tyler Nielson, 35, told 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 said he saw an Evo car being driven at a high rate of speed, at approximately 80 to 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."
The witness added that the vehicle "nearly struck Pedestrians on the sidewalk" when the driver crashed.
After the crash, the driver jumped out of the car and ran down an alley with police in pursuit, he described.
Vancouver police respond
VPD Cst. Tania Visintin told V.I.A. that officers initiated a traffic stop on an Evo rideshare vehicle near Hastings and Carroll streets just before 2 p.m.
"The driver didn't stop, drove into oncoming traffic and collided with a cyclist," she said. "A few blocks away, officers found the vehicle as it had crashed into a tree."
The cyclist sustained minor injuries but did not need to go to the hospital, Visintin added.
The driver was arrested and an investigation is ongoing.
VPD cannot confirm if the driver of the vehicle was using the car as a registered Evo member.
