MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Ontario's police watchdog says there are no reasonable grounds to charge a provincial police officer in a pursuit that left a man injured.
The Special Investigations Unit say the pursuit occurred in Mattawa, Ont., east of North Bay on Aug. 7 after a driver in a suspected stolen vehicle sped off.
The three-minute pursuit, much of it on Highway 17 westbound, reached speeds of up to 140 km/h.
It ended when the car went out of control in a construction zone, flipped a number of times and came to rest in a wooded area, leaving James Smith, 47, with multiple fractures and internal bleeding.
SIU director Ian Scott says the officers had the lawful authority to initiate the pursuit after Smith sped away and Smith's injuries were the result of his driving when he attempted to flee from police.
The SIU is an arm's-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
