SIU concludes Ottawa police officers won't face charges after police pursuit ends before east end crash
Ontario's police watchdog says two Ottawa police officers will not face charges in connection to a police pursuit that ended in a crash at an east end intersection, leaving a 28-year-old woman with serious injuries.
The Special Investigations Unit concluded the police pursuit was called off "well before" the suspect driver ran a red light and collided with the woman's vehicle.
The collision occurred on May 22 at the intersection of Ogilvie Road and Cyrville Road. The SIU says the woman's vehicle was struck at the intersection by a driver who had earlier been under pursuit by two police cruisers.
In a report released late Friday afternoon, the SIU says the officers pulled over a Mercedes Benz on Donald Street for a possible Highway Traffic Act violation after noticing the vehicle "had deeply tinted windows preventing the officers from seeing inside."
The SIU says when the officers observed a transparent baggie in the vehicle passenger's possession they suspected was cannabis, they asked the driver to turn off the engine, and asked both people to exit the vehicle.
SIU Director Joseph Martino says the driver turned off the engine, turned it back on, "uttering Sorry" and sped away.
Martino says officers chased the vehicle, reaching speeds of 100 km/h. The report says a staff sergeant monitoring the chase ordered officers to end the pursuit before the crash. The SIU says witnesses reported the suspect vehicle ran a red light at the intersection of Cyrville and Ogilvie and collided with another vehicle.
On Friday, the SIU said there was "No reasonable grounds to believe the two Ottawa Police Service officers committed a criminal offence" in connection with the serious injuries suffered by the woman in the crash.
"Director Martino concluded that the police pursuit had ended well before the driver entered the intersection on a red light and caused a collision," said the SIU in a statement.
"Accordingly, there was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case and the file has been closed."
Both officers declined to be interviewed by the SIU as part of the investigation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.