Suspect already in handcuffs allegedly steals Toronto police SUV with two dogs inside
A suspect already in handcuffs has allegedly managed to overpower a Toronto police officer and steal their SUV, sending police on a wild early morning chase that ended with an attempted carjacking.
Officers said they were called to a break and enter at the corner of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue before 4:30 a.m., where they located a male suspect and began to detain him.
In the course of the arrest, the suspect managed to overpower an arresting officer after handcuffs were placed on him, and jump into a police canine unit SUV, police said.
He then allegedly sped away to the west, with two police dogs sitting in the back of the vehicle.
Police said the suspect then crashed the SUV after pulling into the parking lot of a Metro grocery store in the Keele Street and Lawrence Avenue area.
Before police arrived, the suspect allegedly approached several cars and tried to open them, and then flagged down a taxi in an attempt to carjack it.
In exclusive video obtained by CTV News Toronto, an individual is seen running through an intersection towards a tax. The person proceeds to repeatedly hit the window on the driver’s side, eventually smashing the glass.
The driver of the taxi starts to drive away while the individual clings to the side of the vehicle.
A resident who provided the video described the incident as “scary,” and said she thought someone “was going to die.”
“He was yelling at the cab driver to open the door and when he didn’t, he smashed through,” she said.
A short time later police caught up with the suspect and took him into custody. He was transported to a hospital trauma centre in non-life-threatening condition.
The taxi driver was taken to local hospital with minor injuries, police said. The dogs in the back of the police vehicle were not harmed.
Toronto police Insp. Craig Young called the incident “quite extraordinary.”
“It was an audacious move to take a police car and engage in this kind of activity, it’s just extraordinary,” he said.
A large amount of debris was seen along Keele Street leading up to the grocery store.
Asked how a suspect could steal a police vehicle in such a manner, Craig said several times they were still working to determine what transpired, or if an internal probe into police practice was needed.
--With files from CP24's Beatrice Vaisman.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.