A Toronto police officer has been charged under the Police Services Act after opening fire on a stolen vehicle in the distillery district last year.
The incident occurred of Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the intersection of Mill and Parliament Streets.
Edward Michael Skotnicki, 60, had allegedly stolen a car near the intersection of Bond and Shuter streets and was being pursued by two police cruisers.
Officers at the scene discharged their weapons a total of 15 times after Skotnicki allegedly tried to hit one of them with the vehicle.
None of the bullets hit the suspect, who was quickly taken into custody.
Skotnicki is facing a total of five charges including theft over $5,000, flight while pursued by peace officer, and dangerous driving.
Head of the Toronto Police Association Mike McCormack confirmed on Wednesday that Const. Tash Baiati has been charged under Police Services Act in connection with the shooting.
The Police Services Act is provincial legislation that governs the conduct of police officers in Ontario. The act allows for officers to be charged with misconduct if the legitimacy of their actions is in question.
That means none of the charges against Baiati are criminal and the Ontario Special Investigations Unit is not involved in the case.
Police have not yet confirmed the specific charges the officer is facing.
While no one was injured during the incident, questions have been raised about police response to the incident, with many experts calling the police’s actions dangerous given the time and location of the shooting.
