Driver hospitalized after SUV strikes car and flees the scene in Barrie

A vehicle is damaged following an alleged hit-and-run on Bayfield Street near Heather Street in Barrie, Ont., on Tues., Sept. 20, 2023. (Courtesy: Michael Chorney/At The Scene Photography)

Police in Barrie are investigating a hit-and-run that reportedly happened when an SUV left a parking lot and struck another car, injuring the driver.

Police say the incident happened Tuesday around 2 p.m. in a parking lot on Bayfield Street south of Heather Street.

The SUV was leaving the parking lot and struck a red car that was stopped in the northbound turning lane for Heather Street.

Police say the white SUV took off "at a high rate of speed" on Bayfield Street before heading south on Highway 400.

The driver of the struck car was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say the SUV driver was a man with blonde hair, possibly between 20 to 30 years old. There may have been a second man in the passenger seat.

The front of the involved vehicle, which could be a General Motors product, should have significant front-end damage, police say.

They ask witnesses or anyone with dash cam footage of the incident to contact the investigating officer at 705-725-7025 ext. 2643.