A six-vehicle crash in a Kitchener neighbourhood Wednesday morning ended with three people in hospital and one on the lam.

The collision occurred around 11 a.m. in the area of Belmont Avenue and Queen’s Boulevard.

According to Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, which has been called in to investigate the incident, it began when an SUV refused to stop for police on nearby Spadina Road.

The vehicle then hit several other vehicles as it made its way down Belmont, as well as a pedestrian.

The pedestrian was taken to hospital with serious injuries, as were two people in one of the vehicles that had been struck. All three were said to have injuries that were serious, but not life-threatening.

The SIU says that the driver of the SUV then ran away from the area. His vehicle was towing a trailer, which spilled its load onto the roadway.

Police said Wednesday afternoon that they were looking for a 40-year-old white man in connection with the crash. They described the man as “short and stocky,” and said he was wearing camouflage pants.

Officers were seen searching the neighbourhood around the crash site, going through a number of garages and backyards.

A hold-and-secure was enacted at nearby J.F. Carmichael Public School and Queensmount Public School, according to the Waterloo Region District School Board, because of the police activity.

In a hold-and-secure situation, nobody is allowed to enter or leave the building, although people can move around inside as normal.

Both hold-and-secures were lifted around 2 p.m.

The SIU investigates cases in which somebody dies, is seriously injured, or claims to have been sexually assaulted during an interaction with police.

They have assigned a 12-person team to investigate, and say they want to hear from any witnesses.

With reporting by Nicole Lampa and Allison Tanner