Ontario woman charged after allegedly stealing city bus and causing $300,000 of damage

A London, Ontario woman is facing numerous charges after allegedly stealing a city bus this past weekend.

The woman, identified as Patricia Craig, 45, allegedly entered a parked city bus near 450 Highbury Avenue North.

The bus was damaged as she attempted to reverse it, where she then exited the bus, and entered a second bus that was in the same bus garage. The woman then drove the second bus through a different door.

Police were notified of the incident, where several officers tracked her movements through London's downtown core. The woman was allegedly running red lights and striking vehicles with the bus.

The OPP were then notified of the incident.

"The bus continued southbound on Highbury Avenue near Wilton Grove Road, where members of the OPP deployed a tire deflation device. The bus continued southbound through Belmont, Ontario, where it drove off the roadway and stopped in a ditch on the west side of the road at approximately 4 am," police wrote in a statement released Monday.

The woman was then arrested without incident.

Craig faces charges of:

• Two counts of theft of motor vehicle;
• Break and enter;
• Mischief over $5000;
• Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle;
• Operation while prohibited;
• Two counts of failure to stop at scene of accident;
• Impaired operation; and
• Impaired operation exceeding blood alcohol concentration.

No injuries were reported, and damage is estimated at $300,000.

Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to call the London Police Service at (519) 661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent in online anonymously to www.londoncrimestoppers.com