SIU investigating after 2 teens seriously injured in Oshawa collision involving driver who fled traffic stop

The logo of the Ontario Special Investigations Unit is pictured in Toronto on Friday, April 12, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

The province’s police watchdog is investigating after a driver fleeing a traffic stop became involved in a collision in Oshawa and left two teenagers seriously injured on Monday night.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said a Durham police officer tried to stop a driver of a BMW who was speeding on Thornton Road in Whitby at 10:30 p.m.

However, the driver fled and later collided with a Nissan Rogue on Winchester Road in Oshawa, the SIU said. The driver ran away, but four passengers in the BMW remained at the scene.

Paramedics responded, and two passengers, a 17-year-old and a 13-year-old, were transported to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto with serious injuries.

The other passengers of the BMW were also taken to a local hospital, but their injuries were not considered serious, the SIU said, adding that the two female occupants of the Rogue were not seriously injured.

Meanwhile, with the help of a police dog, the 16-year-old driver of the BMW was later located and apprehended.

The SIU said he was taken to the hospital for treatment. His injuries were not serious. There is no word on what charges the driver is facing.

On Tuesday, the SIU announced that it had assigned two investigators and a forensic investigator to the case and had designated one subject official and three witness officials.

The SIU is an arm’s length agency which investigates the conduct of police that may have resulted in a death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault.