One vehicle recovered after Easter Sunday shootout between cars in Ancaster

After a shootout between two vehicles in Ancaster on Sunday evening, Hamilton police have recovered one of the cars involved and are pursuing suspects.

According to Staff Sgt. Chris Hastings, a sedan and a black Ford F-150 pickup truck were travelling along Oneida Boulevard around 6:30 p.m. Sunday when "a quantity of shots were fired" between the two vehicles.

No one was hurt. The sedan was later found abandoned nearby.

Oneida Boulevard is in the Mohawk Road and Highway 403 area.

For families celebrating Easter Sunday in the surrounding West Mountain neighbourhood, the tranquility was punctured by an unexpected ruckus.

We heard a boom-boom, then a gap, then four more shots.- Greg Kesminas, local resident

"We were having a normal Easter dinner," said Greg Kesminas, 40, who has lived in the area for five years. His home is on Seneca Drive, with Oneida Boulevard running behind him.

Kesminas said he and his family were enjoying the nice weather with a backyard barbecue.

"My parents came over, my kids were there. We heard a boom-boom, then a gap, then four more shots. There were different gaps between them."

'Something happening in our neighbourhood'

Witnesses saw the two vehicles fleeing the scene, a statement from Hamilton police said. The recovered sedan is "being held for forensic examination and execution of a criminal search warrant," Hastings added.

"It's a concern for public safety," said Hastings, "but I can say we don't think residents in the area are involved."

According to the statement, "police believe this was an incident between the occupants of the vehicles."

That's Kesminas's take on the situation as well. When asked if the incident makes him worried for his family's safety, he said no. "Because it was a one-time thing, I'm assuming. Just passing by."

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"And I'm from Eastern Europe," he added. "So it's really hard to scare me. My kids didn't even get scared. They just said, 'Oh daddy, something happening in our neighbourhood!'"

Kesminas said that at least one of his neighbours who witnessed the gunfight was very unsettled by the incident.

Police described the occupants of the black Ford pickup truck as a "white male, heavy build, with a shaved or bald head," and a "white female, with a blond ponytail." No descriptions were given for the occupant or occupants of the sedan.

Ancaster isn't known as a place with high crime, which makes such incidents stand out. Although recently, Ancaster has also seen an armed carjacking and robbery, and the arrest of a man facing serious charges for computer hacking.

dave.beatty@cbc.ca | @dbeatty