Man charged after video shows passenger swerving taxi into truck on highway

A 45-year-old man has been charged after he allegedly swerved a taxi into a tractor-trailer on a highway while he was sitting in the front passenger seat, Ontario Provincial Police said. 

The incident happened on Wednesday around 5 p.m. on Highway 412 near Taunton Road. 

Dashcam footage posted on social media shows the taxi approaching the truck, which is driving in the same direction in the lane beside it. 

The accused reaches over and grabs the steering wheel. The car crashes into the tractor-trailer, before the driver regains control of the wheel. 

He then reaches over again, yanking the wheel so the car hits the truck, scraping against the trailer as it drives ahead. 

Other passengers in the back of the car are heard screaming, while the driver repeatedly says, "What the f-ck are you doing?" 

The car then stops on the road and the accused and driver exit. The tractor-trailer is seen pulling over in the distance. 

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt called the footage "absolutely shocking." 

"The dashcam certainly speaks for itself," he said. 

Four people were sitting in the rear passenger seats at the time, Schmidt said. The accused knew the other passengers, but police did not specify their relationship. 

The incident caused significant damage but no one was injured, he said. 

The accused has been charged with dangerous driving, mischief endangering life and mischief causing damage to property, Schmidt said. 

He remains in custody after a bail hearing on Friday. 

Police trying to understand motive 

Schmidt said police are "trying to understand what was going on in the mind" of the accused. 

Though the investigation is still in early stages, he said the incident does not appear to be a case of insurance fraud. 

He said dashcams can be "an absolute saviour" for drivers who are involved in collisions. 

"It may incriminate or it may exonerate, but it is very telling when you have videos like this that really help investigators and everyone understand what's going on," he said.