Just before 4:45 AM on Saturday, September 23 Niagara Regional Police responded to an assist ambulance call in St. Catharines. Officers arrived at the scene on Eastchester Avenue near Lorne Street. Personnel from Niagara Emergency Medical Services and St. Catharines Fire Services were tending to a lone male patient. The 58-year-old patient was determined to be the driver/operator of a taxi parked nearby. The patient had sustained a critical injury. The patient was transported to a local hospital and then to an out of region hospital for further care. The initial investigation determined that a member of the public had been driving in the area when they passed the stopped taxi, the driver was found lying unconscious on the roadway.Uniform officers and a NRPS K9 Unit searched the area but did not find a suspect. The taxi has been towed from the scene by Forensic Service Unit detectives for further examination. The investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances around this incident, which has been assigned to the Homicide Unit. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the investigating officers by calling 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1009124.
