Truck driver in custody after 5-hour police chase

A long highway chase in which police pursued an allegedly stolen tractor-trailer for more than five hours in southern Ontario ended peacefully Monday afternoon with the driver in custody.

The rig, which was towing an empty flatbed trailer, pulled over on the Toronto-bound Queen Elizabeth Way just north of the Burlington Skyway at around 1:30 p.m.

Ontario Provincial Police said the driver was taken into custody.

The eastbound lanes were closed for about a half hour as police investigated, snarling traffic.

While lanes have since opened, commuters can expect delays in the area.

Police spent hours following the large truck they say was stolen from the Niagara area just after 4 a.m. on Monday.

Police began to follow the rig just after 8 a.m.

From there, police followed the truck along Highway 401 to Highway 427.

The truck then drove along the QEW to Niagara, where it turned around and headed back toward Toronto before pulling over near Burlington.

During the chase, police cars followed the truck but made no attempt to force it off the road.