Stratford man charged with assault with a weapon following hit-and-run investigation

Stratford police have charged a 42-year-old city man with assault with a weapon following an investigation into a hit and run at a parking lot near Anne Hathaway Park in Stratford that sent a cyclist to hospital last month.

Police alleged the accused and another man, 53, were involved in an argument shortly before 2 pm on July 29 in the parking lot on Downie Street, located next to a housing complex and across the road from a park where a baseball tournament was being hosted .

Police said the argument escalated to the point where the accused allegedly struck the other man intentionally with his car and dragged both him and his bicycle for several meters before fleeing the scene. The man who was hit was taken to hospital, where he was treated for injuries caused by the collision, police said.

Police found the suspected driver in his vehicle on Aug. 10, shortly before 3:30 pm, and he was arrested without incident. In addition to the assault charge, police charged the man with dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident. He was held in police custody pending the results of a bail hearing.