High-speed getaway ends in arrests after liquor store theft: OPP

File Image - A police car with flashing lights is shown. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Matt Rourke)

Police say two men accused of stealing nearly $800 worth of high-end scotch from the LCBO in Thornbury led officers on a dangerous high-speed chase before being arrested near Blue Mountain ski resort.

Provincial police say the theft happened just before noon on Sunday, when two suspects walked into the liquor store, grabbed multiple bottles of premium scotch, and left without paying. They then took off in a Mitsubishi RVR that police say had been reported stolen from Brampton a few days earlier.

Collingwood Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers spotted the suspect vehicle on Balsam Street in Collingwood’s east end, but when officers tried to pull it over, police allege the driver sped off, blowing through intersections. Officers tracked the vehicle as it raced west toward Blue Mountain before they found it abandoned in a ski lodge parking lot.

Police say they located both suspects following a foot search, adding one suspect was found hiding in a ski lodge washroom.

Along with the stolen vehicle, police allegedly recovered a stolen licence plate, the scotch, and a small amount of suspected methamphetamine. During their investigation, officers say they also discovered that one of the suspects had given them a false name, and that both men were linked to other crimes in the region.

The accused, a 25-year-old from Toronto and a 26-year-old from Brampton, face several charges, including theft, possession of stolen property, and drug possession. The Toronto man is also charged with dangerous driving and fleeing from police, while the Brampton man faces an additional charge of obstructing police.

The investigation is ongoing.