Toronto police are conducting a professional standards investigation into the crash of a police cruiser in Scarborough on New Year’s Day, that a media report suggests was caused by an officer doing donuts.
The incident reportedly occurred in a parking lot near Markham Road and Sheppard Avenue East.
In a photo of the crash, obtained by the Toronto Sun, the police cruiser is seen partially up on a curb, sitting on a patch of grass. There is severe damage to the front end of the vehicle and the bumper appears to have been scraped off.
It is believed at least two officers were inside the vehicle when it crashed, but there are no reports of any injuries.
“There is information circulating that the vehicle was doing “donuts” prior to the collision,” Toronto Police Association Mike McCormack said in a statement. “However, there is no evidence to support this. As this is an ongoing investigation, the TPA will make no further comment.”
Toronto police told CTV News Toronto the professional standards unit is investigating an incident involving damage to a police vehicle. The officers remain on duty, police said.
The collision comes just days after multiple videos posted online showed Toronto police officers appearing to handcuff women and posing for photographs inside a downtown bar. Another video showed at least one woman getting into the back of a police cruiser and saying “Uber is here.”
“We are always concerned when videos like this come up and thankfully it doesn’t happen often, but when it does we refer the matter to our professional standards section and they conduct a thorough investigation and if misconduct is determined then officers will be disciplined appropriately,” Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray told CP24 earlier this week.
The officers seen in the videos would stay on duty while the review took place, Gray said.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Brandon Rowe
