Special Investigations UnitSpecial Investigations Unit
Windsor

SIU clears officers after suspect crashes twice evading police

The Ontario Special Investigation Unit found no evidence Windsor Police are responsible for a suspect's injuries after a police chase and two crashes last December 2.

It started when a police officer spotted a Ford Escape implicated in a gas theft earlier that day in London.

He tried to pull the vehicle over on Cabana Road, but the suspect sped off into oncoming traffic. There was a brief police chase, but after just 20 seconds, the officer called it off.

Not five minutes later, the Escape collided with a Mitsubishi on Dougall Avenue near the on-ramp to the E.C. Row Expressway. There was a second police chase getting up to speeds of 94 km/h, but just minutes later, the Escape was involved in another crash, this time with a traffic pole on Northway Avenue near Tecumseh Road West.

When the paramedics arrived, the suspect told them he didn't need medical treatment, so they left.

Soon after that, officers found open drugs and alcohol inside the vehicle.

There was already an arrest warrant out for the suspect, but now he faced impaired driving and dangerous driving charges.

During the ride to the police station, video evidence from inside the prisoner transport vehicle showed the suspect struggling to free himself from the handcuffs. At one point, he passed out and fell off the seat.

Watching through the cameras, an officer in the front of the vehicle became concerned about the suspect's breathing. The prisoner transport pulled over, but the officers were told it would take an ambulance some time to arrive, so they continued to the hospital.

Once there, the man was diagnosed with a fractured spine and a herniated disc. A doctor believed he was hurt in the second crash, but the SIU could not rule out that he may have hurt himself in the back of the prisoner transport.

Director Joseph Martino concluded his report by saying there was no basis for criminal charges against the police officers and closed the investigation.

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