A 32-year-old York Regional Police officer was killed in the line of duty Tuesday morning as he tried to pull over an underage driver and his three teenaged passengers.

Const. Garrett Styles was dragged for 300 metres on Highway 48 near Newmarket after the vehicle he pulled over accelerated as he stood at the driver's door.

The unlicensed, 15-year-old driver of the minivan eventually lost control at the wheel, causing the vehicle to rollover, pinning the officer beneath.

Styles, who would have turned 33 this Sunday, managed to radio his colleagues for help. Firefighters extricated him and the officer was rushed to South Lake Regional Health Centre. However, he succumbed to his injuries at 6:10 a.m., about an hour after the accident occurred.

"The homicide unit is leading the investigation which is continuing," said York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

The driver of the 2005 Dodge Caravan is in hospital with serious injuries as a result of the crash. His passengers – also described as youths --- are cooperating with police.

‘Devastated'

Jolliffe said the tragedy has sent everyone in the service reeling with grief.

Some York Regional Police officers learned of their colleague's death while they were at the scene of the collision. Some broke down in tears. Others hugged and consoled each other.

Styles, who had been on the force for seven years, was a father to two small children – a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and a nine-week-old son. His wife Melissa is a civilian employee with the York Regional Police information management department.

"I would like to offer my deepest sympathy to the family of Const. Styles," Jolliffe said. "Every member of this service is devastated by the loss. He was a leader on his platoon, a dedicated professional hard-working officer who always had time to help others."

During his career, Styles received three letters of recommendation and had recently passed a promotional exam to become a sergeant.

He was following in his father's footsteps -- his dad was a staff sergeant with York Regional Police before retiring this past January. Styles also has a cousin who works for 2 District.

Before joining the force in 2003, Styles worked in security. When he joined the force, he was stationed in Richmond Hill. He recently was transferred to 1 District where he patrolled his Newmarket hometown as well as Aurora and Gwillimbury.

"He had a lot of bright things to look forward to," John Miskiw, President of the York Regional Police Association told CP24. "To die under these tragic circumstances is unreal. We will ban together and grieve together. We will look after Melissa and her children over the years."

Jolliffe said the service has received hundreds of messages of condolences from across North America from colleagues, politicians, police chiefs and civilians. The condolences will all be forwarded to the officer's family, he said.

To leave a message of condolence, click here.

"We thank the citizens whose messages of support have been outpouring throughout the day," he said. "We appreciate the support as we deal with this."

Jolliffe also commented on the dangers of policing. Last week Peterborough-area police officer Const. Keith Calderwood was seriously injured on the job while executing a search warrant in Lindsay, Ont.

"Police officers put their lives on the lines each and every day when they leave their families to protect others. It's a selfless sacrifice."

Styles is the second York Regional Police officer to die in the line of duty in the last four years.

In August 2007, Det. Const. Robert Plunkett died when he was struck by a car while attempting to stop a man who was stealing airbags.

Nadeem Jiwa, 23, was convicted of manslaughter at a trial in April. He is scheduled to be sentenced this Wednesday.

Ontario Provincial Police said Highway 48 is expected to be closed between Mount Albert Road and Davis Drive for most of the day.