Afghanistan veteran Sergeant Jay Foulds never thought he would be ambushed in his own country, but on Tuesday night the four-time Afghanistan vet was caught off-guard.

“I was cruising along Lake Street over the bridge when I heard a loud bang,” recalled Sgt. Foulds.

When he looked through his rear view mirror, he noticed the bridge was littered with objects. He quickly pulled into a parking spot to investigate. As he approached the bridge on foot he heard a female’s voice yell “car” as another car proceeded to drive across the bridge.

From the south side of the bridge objects were being flung at passing vehicles. For Sgt. Foulds, his car was damaged by a railway tie.

“This is an ambush tactic – something that happens in Afghanistan,” explained Sgt. Foulds.

When he realized the group was throwing objects at unsuspecting motorists, he called 911. While on the phone reporting the crime he noticed people emerging from the bushes along the railway line heading east. He told them to stop because the police were on the way, but two of them bolted.

When the police arrived at the scene, they apprehended four people.

Constable Dillon Gerundin, community services officer for the Pembroke Police Service confirmed, “Four people were charged with mischief. Two are adults.”

Shocked and choked up, Sgt. Foulds said, “I go to Afghanistan and come home without a scratch and then I get ambushed in my own country.”

In Afghanistan, using a “spotter” enemy forces watch for a target. Once the target is in place the spotter communicates with the attackers to signal the ambush.

Sgt. Foulds noted the investigating officer, Constable Jim Carnegie, estimated there was about 90 objects on the deck of the bridge.

As for Sgt. Foulds, he said he was lucky he wasn’t hit in the face with the railway spike because it could have had serious repercussions.

His Dodge Charger door had two dime-sized dents just below the window, plus there were several spots where the paint was chipped off the door. Unfortunately, he was in the process of trading in his car for a new vehicle.

Sgt. Foulds spoke to The Daily Observer to let other people know about the incident, especially those whose vehicles may have been damaged.

Calling the incident “very dangerous,” Const. Gerundin said, “someone could have been hurt if a windshield had been hit.”

The constable suggested people who witnessed or experienced their own vehicle being hit call 613-732-5769.

Cyndi Mills is a Daily Observer multimedia journalist

cyndi.mills@sunmedia.ca