Man, 29, charged following Parliament Hill ramming incident

A 29-year-old Ottawa man is facing charges following an incident early Wednesday morning in which a vehicle rammed a gate on Parliament Hill.

Ottawa police said Wednesday someone drove an unauthorized vehicle into the front gates on Wellington Street at around 3:30 a.m., but was unable to go farther because of security infrastructure. Damage to the gate was minimal and a nearby officer arrested the driver without incident.

The Ottawa Police Service is the police service of jurisdiction on Wellington Street in front of the parliament buildings. Officers are working with the Parliamentary Protective Service.

The accused has been identified in court documents obtained by CTV News as Maxwell Pate, 29, of Ottawa. Pate is charged with dangerous driving and mischief to property.

Earlier this year, Ottawa police issued a missing person report for Pate, which was later cancelled when he was found. Police had warned residents at the time that he could be at risk to harm himself or others and may have had a knife.

CTV News spoke to his family, who say Pate struggles with mental illness and has been unable to get the care he needs in recent months.

Wellington Street in front of Parliament has been closed to vehicles since February, after police forces removed "Freedom Convoy" anti-government protesters who had entrenched themselves in the downtown core for three weeks.

In July, a driver received more than $1,000 in fines for driving unauthorized on Wellington Street. There have been ongoing discussions since February about whether to keep the section of Wellington Street in front of Parliament closed to vehicles permanently. 

MPs are on their summer break so the House of Commons is not currently sitting.

This comes the same day as a tour bus hit a gate outside 24 Sussex Dr., the official, but presently unoccupied, residence of the prime minister. No passengers were on the bus at the time and the driver was not hurt. The Prime Minister Justin Trudeau currently does not live at 24 Sussex Dr. Police said these two incidents are considered separate.

--With files from CTV's Mackenzie Gray and Rachel Aiello.