A Guelph Police officer who followed a suspect by car will not face charges as a result of the man’s life-threatening injuries, says Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit.
The incident in question occurred in the early morning hours of Nov. 25, 2018, when a Guelph Police officer attended the scene of a disturbance on Bagot Street at about 4:15 a.m.
A 2005 Mazda 3 sedan was seen leaving the area and the officer began to follow
A short time later the vehicle split in two when it hit a hydro pole on Silvercreek Parkway and the 29-year-old man was found ejected from the vehicle and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The car had two different license plates, both of which were reported stolen, said the SIU report.
The SIU investigators listened to recorded communications between the officer and dispatch and examined GPS speed data from the officer’s vehicle. Video evidence from an address on Silvercreek Parkwas was also examined.
The subject officer declined to be interviewed as part of the investigation, which the SIU noted is his legal right.
The complainant was not able to be interviewed due to his severe brain injury as a result of the collision, said the SIU in its report. He also received multiple fractures as a result of the collision.
During conversations with dispatch, the subject officer reported the Mazda travelling at a high rate of speed and said he was following only, not in pursuit. The officer was not able to get close the complainant as the Mazda accelerated to reach significant speeds.
The officer told dispatch that the Mazda was ‘taking off’ and noted it did not stop for a stop sign on Willow Road. At that time the dispatcher called for units to assist.
Less than two minutes later, the officer came upon the scene of the collision.
GPS data from the subject officer’s police cruiser showed that his speeds reached a maximum of 89 kilometres per hour on his way to the crash scene.
The Mazda was estimated to have been travelling about 130 kilometres per hour at the time of the collision.
The SIU found there were no reasonable grounds that the subject officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the collision and for the injuries sustained by the complainant. It also found there was no evidence that the subject officer imperilled any motorist or pedestrian along the route.
