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
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busty stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
Chemical spill could be cause of stinky water in Puslinch, Ont., new report says
People living in Puslinch, Ont. may have the answer to why their water smelled so bad last year.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Should you save or splurge on makeup this summer?
If you're wondering whether you should splurge or save when it comes to buying skincare products and makeup this summer, we got some answers for you.
William Shatner says he would consider 'Star Trek' return: 'Here comes Captain Kirk!'
The Montreal-born actor, famed for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," says he is open to reprising the iconic role in the sci-fi franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar.
One dead after potential wrong way crash on Highway 401 in Milton: OPP
One person is dead and another is in life-threatening condition after a driver was travelling in the wrong direction on Highway 401 in Milton Sunday, according to police.