Antigonish County RCMP have charged a 27-year-old driver from Shelburne, N.S., with multiple offences after he evaded police for almost two hours on Friday.

According to a news release, Colchester District RCMP attempted to stop a Ford Mustang travelling at 173 km/h on Highway 104 at about 6:18 p.m. When the vehicle didn’t stop, officers disengaged and alerted Pictou RCMP.

RCMP say the same vehicle, then travelling 53 km/h over the speed limit, failed to stop in Pictou. Antigonish RCMP were then notified.

Police say officers there disengaged from the pursuit on Highway 104 when the Mustang’s speed increased to 218 km/h.

At 7:13 p.m., Inverness RCMP attempted a traffic stop in Aulds Cove where the vehicle was travelling at 180 km/h in a 70 km/h zone. Police say officers stopped the pursuit when the vehicle crossed into an oncoming lane.

No injuries reported

A roadblock was set up at the Canso Causeway where the Mustang collided with an RCMP cruiser and another vehicle before speeding away, according to police. No injuries have been reported.

The Mustang headed back toward Antigonish. Officers deployed a tire-deflation device, but the vehicle evaded police.

Police say a 911 caller later reported a suspicious vehicle in Antigonish and the driver was arrested without further incident at 7:51 p.m. He was found to have a sensory irritant in the vehicle, police say.

The man is charged with four counts of flight from police, two counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance, two counts of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, failing to stop at the scene of an accident, common nuisance, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of a weapon while prohibited.

The driver is in custody. He is scheduled to appear in Antigonish provincial court on Monday.

The RCMP is asking anyone who may have captured footage of any part of this incident on their dash cameras to contact the Antigonish detachment.

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