A Middlesex OPP officer is in the clear after an investigation into a police chase that ended with a break and enter suspect suffering serious injuries.
The Special Investigations Unit interviewed ten police witnesses and five civilian witnesses and determined there were no grounds to charge the officer in connection with the incident on August 25, 2014.
Early that morning, a London police officer was called to the area of Fanshawe Park Rd. and Wonderland Rd. for a break and enter call. The officer spotted a suspect vehicle, a black BMW. The driver took off, heading west on Fanshawe Park Rd. The officer followed as the BMW hit speeds in excess of 240km/h.
When the BMW turned left through a red light at Richmond St., the officer stopped his pursuit.
Middlesex OPP officers began pursuing the suspect in a chase that covered about 60km. Eventually, the BMW headed south on Vanneck Rd. from Egremont Dr. According to the SIU, the officer did not hear the initial command to stop the pursuit. But when the order was re-broadcast moments later, she stopped chasing the suspect.
Shortly after, the driver of the BMW lost control near the intersection of Vanneck Rd. and Gainsboro Rd. The car hit a tree and the driver suffered serious injuries, including fractured ribs.
“The offence that arises for consideration is that of dangerous driving contrary to section 249 of the Criminal Code," says SIU Director Tony Loparco. "The offence is not made out unless the impugned conduct amounts to a marked departure from the standard of care that a reasonable person would have exercised in the circumstances. There is no evidence, in my view, to reasonably conclude that any of the officers involved in this matter was in breach of that standard. On the contrary, whether their conduct is examined collectively or in isolation, it seems to me that the officers acquitted themselves professionally and with due regard for public safety at all times."
Loparco adds, because the chase happened very early in the morning, there was no evidence to suggest that any member of the public was ever placed in danger.