Police stop truck carrying missile launchers on Toronto-area highway

Intelligence Summit 2006 ^

[Alex Marko]

TORONTO - The army is looking into a bizarre incident in which a tractor-trailer loaded with anti-aircraft missile launchers was seen rolling down a major Ontario highway.

Several police cruisers were needed to pull over the vehicle as it travelled westbound on Highway 407 near Toronto.

The trailer was carrying two armoured personnel carriers bearing Department of National Defence licence plates and loaded with anti-aircraft missile launchers.

Police say the carriers, formerly registered to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were supposed to be delivered to Montreal on Thursday.

Police took the driver into custody at the scene, and the armoured carriers have been taken to a storage depot.

A spokeswoman for the Department of National Defence says the army is investigating.

"At this point, I don't have any confirmation on anything," said Lieut. Morgan Bailey.

[gridlock]

Looks like my Christmas gift is going to arrive late this year...

[the invisib1e hand]

Good thing Canada isn't participating in the War on Terror. They might be targets otherwise.

Instead it would appear by this incident that they're accomplices, if unwitting ones.

Whoever is not for us is against us.

[mitchbert]

Exactly the kind of guy I'd want hauling this type of load.

No kidding, eh.

Last I heard the cargo has arrived and is at the Forces Base originally intended.

[McGavin999]

Seems like it's a little late for a don't ask - don't tell policy up there.

Those are some serious warriors. They have been horribly let down by their own country and seriously underfunded and under equipped, but you won't find many American soldiers who wouldn't be proud to fight at their side.

[montag813]

I can't believe the truth was even reported. Had this been the United States, the FBI would have told us they confiscated "bottle rocket launchers used by teenagers."

[Peach]

I think so, Mo.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Police stop truck carrying missile launchers on Toronto-area highway

A tractor-trailer sits on the side of a Toronto highway after being stopped by police on Friday. (CP/Christopher Williams)

GREG BONNELL

TORONTO (CP) - One truck driver's confusion is to blame for a bizarre incident involving three police forces, the Canadian military and a tractor-trailer loaded with armoured vehicles bearing anti-tank missile launchers, police said Friday.

The shipment of army vehicles was scheduled to arrive Thursday in Montreal. But after being reported stolen, it was instead pulled over travelling westbound -the opposite direction of its destination - on a major Ontario highway.

"The military contracted a company to deliver some armoured personnel carriers to Montreal," said Peel Regional Police Const. Dameon Okposio.

"The driver was pre-occupied with some personal and family issues and got confused about the shipment date. That's where everything began to spiral out of control."

Officers from Peel and York regions, along with Ontario Provincial Police, followed the truck some 17 kilometres Friday after the trucking company reported it stolen when it didn't arrive in Montreal as scheduled.

The trailer was carrying two M113 armoured personnel carriers bearing Department of National Defence licence plates and loaded with ground-to-ground missile launchers.

"It's . . . used against tanks and other armoured personnel carriers," said Canadian Forces spokesman Major Daryl Morrell.

The vehicles, which carried no explosives[my bold], are considered surplus and were being moved to Montreal for storage when the driver went astray.

"Certainly we're going to be talking to the company about today's occurrences," said Morrell.

The army had contracted out the transport of the equipment to the Camlane Group, a private Toronto-area trucking company.

"(The driver) was supposed to have taken them to Montreal" on Thursday, said Const. Laurie Perks of York Region Police.

"The (Global Positioning Satellite) system showed that he wasn't in Montreal, so the owner of the truck reported it stolen."

Calls to the trucking company were not immediately returned.

When confronted by police on Highway 407, just northwest of Toronto, the driver pulled over without incident.

"There wasn't a pursuit," said Okposio, who added that additional police were called in as a precaution.

"No one was anticipating two small looking tanks to be travelling on the 407, so before they attempted to stop the vehicle they wanted to make sure there was going to be enough assistance there, in case something happened."

Okposio said the driver will not be charged.

"It's found that he had no criminal intent to deprive the armed forces of their equipment or do anything with them. It was just a matter of confusion and that matter has been resolved."

© The Canadian Press, 2005

[Zuben Elgenubi]

I should have posted the LINK because, according to the link, this is the third re-write by Mr Bonnell. I don't have the first or second writes.

[Williams]

Thanks.

[GOP_1900AD]

Maybe he thought he go for a War of 1812 redux ... "attack, attack" [cut to Border Patrol in Detroit scratching their heads ....]

[The Red Zone]

But that ocean drive is a killer.

[muir_redwoods]

"Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry???

Seems like it's a little late for a don't ask - don't tell policy up there.",

Trust me, name aside, you don't want to be on the bad side of these boys. It's like "The Boy Named Sue", very, very tough

[SunkenCiv]

? A blast from the past, December 2005.