Two Toronto police officers facing charges after opening fire on suspected stolen vehicle

Two Toronto police officers who allegedly opened fire on two men seated in a suspected stolen vehicle last summer are now facing criminal charges.

The incident happened on June 11 near College Street and Roxton Road, just east of Ossington Avenue.

According to Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), two police officers were in that area around noon when they located a Cadillac that was believed to be stolen.

The civilian agency said that an interaction occurred between the officers and the vehicle’s two male occupants, age 26 and 45, resulting in them firing their guns “in the direction of the men inside the Cadillac.”

The driver of the Cadillac, a black sedan model, along with the passenger fled the scene in the vehicle, but came to a stop after hitting a pole in the area of Bloor Street West and Havelock Street, just east of Dufferin Street, following a high-speed car chase. A number of vehicles were damaged during that pursuit.

Both men were arrested a short time later following a brief foot chase.

The 26-year-old man was taken to the hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.

In a news release issued on Thursday, SIU Director Joseph Martino announced that he has “reasonable grounds” to believe that Consts. Jamie Denysek and Derek MacNeil both committed criminal offences in relation to this shooting.

They have now been charged with one count each of assault with a weapon, careless use of a firearm, and discharge of a firearm with intend to wound, maim, disfigure or endanger life.

The accused are set to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on March 12.

In a release, the SIU said that it is not commenting further on the investigation as the “matter is before the courts, and in consideration of the fair trial interests of the accused.”

The Special Investigations Unit is called in when police are involved in an incident that results in death, serious injury, allegations of sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.

With files from CTV News Toronto’s Janice Golding.