Brantford police looking for two suspects who escaped from police during chase

Brantford Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man and are asking the public for help identifying a second man following a police chase which resulted in multiple collisions and the two suspects evading arrest.

Police said the incident happened in the City’s north end.

Brantford resident James Seguin said he was getting groceries around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, when he saw two people in a red GMC pickup truck appear incapacitated while the vehicle was running.

“One passenger [was] passed out, and the driver hunched over the wheel,” said Seguin.

According to Seguin, the incident happened in the Food Basics parking lot outside Lynden Park Mall.

Seguin said he called the police, and officers responded in a matter in minutes.

Upon arriving, polcie said they attended and located the vehicle in question and saw two men in the vehicle. Both suspects appeared to be unconscious.

Police said the vehicle had previously been reported as stolen from a neighbouring jurisdiction.

Police cruisers and tire deflation devices were positioned in an effort to prevent the vehicle from leaving the parking space.

The suspects awoke, and the driver used the vehicle to ram the police cruisers and another vehicle in the parking lot, as they fled the scene.

“They had squad cars surround the vehicle, and as they proceeded to break the window, the driver woke up and took off,” said Seguin.

Seguin said the driver rammed into multiple police cruisers and a nearby BWM before speeding out of the parking lot.

Police said the suspects drove recklessly with no regard for public safety, proceeding through the Lynden Park Mall parking lot, heading westbound through two West Street parking lots before entering a residential neighbourhood where the suspects abandoned the vehicle, fleeing on foot.

After a short foot pursuit, officers located the driver of the vehicle in the rear yard of a residence. Police say the suspect then sprayed two police officers with bear spray as he made another escape.

Police say two cruisers and a civilian vehicle were damaged. Other property damaged has also being reported, but police say no one was injured.

The vehicle recovered by police was a 2005 red GMC Sierra pick-up truck.

“I’m really hoping that they catch these guys,” said Seguin.

Police have identified the first suspect as Joshua Evan Beaver, 33, from Brantford.

He is described as a 6-foot-3, 248-pound Indigenous man with a heavy build, brown hair and brown eyes.

An arrest warrant has been issued as Beaver is wanted on the following charges:

• Possession of stolen goods over $5000
• Dangerous Operation
• Flight from Police Officer
• Fail to Comply with Undertaking
• Seven counts of Operation while Prohibited by Order
• Possession of Weapon for Dangerous Purpose
• Two counts of Assault with a weapon

If observed, police are reminding the public to not approach the suspects and contact police.

The second suspect is described as a male approximately 20 to 30 years old.

If you have any information related to this investigation, including video footage of the incident, please contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-7050 or, to provide information anonymously, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.