One of two Toronto men charged in a stolen airbags investigation that claimed the life of a York region police officer has been sentenced to eight months in jail.
Baseer Mohammed Yousaf-Zai, 23, pleaded guilty on Thursday to theft over $5,000, possession of stolen property, two counts of theft and breaching a court order, York region police said in a news release.
He will serve an additional two months behind bars after receiving double credit for time already served. After his release, he will be on probation for two years.
Yousaf-Zai has been in custody since being arrested on Aug. 2. His co-accused, 19-year-old Nadeem Jiwa, has yet to face trial for first-degree murder in the death of Const. Rob Plunkett.
The 22-year veteran was killed while trying to make an arrest during an investigation of stolen vehicle airbags.
Police had followed two suspects in two vehicles to a residential street in Markham, north of Toronto.
When Plunkett moved into arrest one suspect, the suspect stepped on the gas, pinning the officer in the open driver's side door. Plunkett was dragged for some distance. He later died in hospital from his injuries.
Some 6,000 officers from across the country and the U.S. attended Plunkett's funeral, where he was remembered as a charming family man with a sense of humour.
The 43-year-old earned a bravery award in 1998 for rescuing a senior from a frozen lake and worked with the Special Olympics for more than 20 years.
Plunkett, who left behind a wife and three children, was York's first officer to die in the line of duty since 1984, and just the third in the force's history.
