A 12-year-old boy is facing an attempted murder charge after a Toronto police officer was hit by a stolen vehicle northeast of the city’s downtown core.
The officer was taken to hospital with “serious but non-life threatening injuries” after police opened fire on the vehicle that struck him, Toronto police said in an early morning June 15 X post. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) told reporters later in the day that he has been released from hospital.
A seriously injured 12-year-old suspect was also taken to hospital, where he remains, SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said at a press conference.
Denette said it was not yet clear whether the boy was injured by gunfire, but several bullets hit the vehicle.
“The injury could be from a bullet, could be a graze, could be glass from the vehicle,” she said. “We don’t yet know that.”
The incident began shortly after 1 a.m. when officers were dispatched to a report of a stolen vehicle near Donlands Avenue and O'Connor Drive, Toronto police said on X.
Two police cruisers, each occupied by two officers, tried to halt the vehicle on the bridge, and the vehicles collided, Denette said.
An officer fired several rounds at the vehicle. At some point he exited his cruiser and was struck by the vehicle, Denette said, adding that the SIU has not yet established whether the shots were fired before or after the officer was struck.
Two other youths were in the vehicle at the time—another 12-year-old and a 13-year-old. One was apprehended and police continue to search for the third, Denette said.
The 12-year-old boy accused of driving the vehicle has been charged with attempted murder, assaulting a peace officer, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property over $5,000, dangerous operation of a vehicle, failing to stop for police, and leaving the scene of an accident, Toronto police said. The suspect’s identity is safeguarded under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Police found the vehicle abandoned at the intersection of Floyd Avenue and Donlands Avenue, Denette said, adding that the suspect accused of driving it was apprehended on foot at Mortimer Avenue and Donlands Avenue.
The alleged vehicle theft, gunfire, collision, and arrest all occurred within a three-kilometre radius, she said.
Five investigators, three forensic investigators, and a collision reconstructionist have been assigned to the case, the SIU said in a press release. The unit is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator.
The SIU is an independent agency tasked with investigating incidents involving police that result in fatalities, serious injuries, accusations of sexual assault, and/or the use of a firearm against a person.
