Man with history of assaulting police with vehicles charged after driving into officer’s car in Hants County

A man with a history of driving at police officers has been charged after allegedly ramming a police vehicle this week.

Police were called about a suspicious vehicle on Cross 3 Road in South Rawdon, Hants County at 8:30 p.m. Monday.  

The caller told police that a truck was going up and down a driveway while the driver was screaming out the window. When the first officer arrived in the area, he spotted the vehicle and tried to pull it over, but it sped off. When a second officer arrived and tried to stop the truck, it rammed the police car but could not escape.

The RCMP officers placed the man under arrest but had to physically remove him from the truck, spokesman Cpl. Chris Marshall said. The officer in the vehicle that was struck wasn’t badly hurt, and there were no injuries during the arrest.

Cody Andrew Prudhomme, 28, of Barton, has been charged with assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer, flight from police, impaired driving, resisting arrest, mischief and three counts of breaching a court order. More charges are expected.

Prudhomme will remain in custody and is scheduled to appear in Digby provincial court Tuesday, where a warrant was issued for his arrest in August after fleeing police.

An officer spotted Prudhomme driving on Highway 217 in Seabrook, Digby County on Aug. 2. The officer knew Prudhomme was criminally prohibited from driving and pulled him over. When he got to Prudhomme’s door he told him he was under arrest for prohibited driving and told him to get out of the truck, at which point Prudhomme sped off.

Police sought and were given a warrant a day later for Prudhomme’s arrest on charges of dangerous driving, resisting arrest, flight from police, driving while prohibited, escaping custody and breaching a court order.

The truck Prudhomme was driving Monday night was the same one he was operating in August, Marshall said.

In September 2014, Prudhomme drove over a police officer who was trying to arrest him for a series of gas and dash incidents in Hants County. The officer spotted him at a gas station and told him he was under arrest, a struggle ensued with the officer partly in the truck and Prudhomme behind the wheel. The officer fell and Prudhomme sped off, running over the officer’s legs and causing several bone fractures.

 A few months later, in January 2015 and while out on bail, Prudhomme stole a relative’s vehicle and headed for Ontario. He stole another vehicle in New Brunswick on the way, and once in Ontario stole gas from a gas station. Ontario Provincial Police spotted his vehicle, beginning a 90-minute pursuit that saw a highway shut down and two spike belts deployed before the stolen vehicle was finally stopped after colliding with police cruisers.

Prudhomme fled on foot but was found hiding in another vehicle at a nearby property and arrested.