A provincial police officer has been cleared of wrongdoing after a young driver crashed his vehicle during a brief pursuit earlier this spring.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) ended its probe into the case on Monday, after launching it in late March.
On the afternoon of March 30, a 20-year-old man was driving a Mercedes-Benz at a high rate of speed on the eastbound side of Highway 401 outside Ingersoll when he passed an unmarked Ontario Provincial Police Dodge Charger. The young man was allegedly travelling at speeds in excess of 160 kilometres per hour, accelerating ahead of the officer who was operating at a speed of about 120 km/h.
The officer activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop of the Mercedes-Benz, but the driver reportedly sped up, leading the police officer after him. The officer decided to end the pursuit, after topping out around 180 km/h, while the young man continued ahead on the highway.
When the driver veered onto the off-ramp at Plank Line, he lost control of his vehicle. The vehicle entered a grassy median and flipped several times before coming to a rest on its roof.
Emergency crews arrived on scene and the man was extricated from the vehicle and taken to hospital with serious injuries including a fractured back.
In his report, SIU Director Joseph Martino deemed the officer acted appropriately, and did not cause or contribute to the brutal crash.
“Realizing that the Mercedes-Benz was still pulling away, the [officer], wisely, decided to disengage in the interests of public safety, slowing and bringing his cruiser to a stop by the side of the highway,” read Martino’s analysis. “The officer was three kilometres away from the eventual site of the collision, which he came upon minutes later after receiving permission from the OPP communications centre to continue eastward.”
Martino stated there is no evidence the officer broke the law relating to the crash, and the investigation has ended.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police officers that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault, and a firearm being discharged at a person.
