One person was killed and three others were injured in a crash that began as a fare dispute involving a cab, Toronto police say.
Three vehicles - a taxicab, sport utility vehicle and pickup truck - were involved in the crash at Royal York Road and Lawrence Avenue West around 8 a.m. Monday.
Police say the cab – a Toyota Camry – entered the intersection and struck the pickup truck, which then struck the SUV.
The cab then struck a traffic light pole and came to rest on the centre median of the intersection.
A man in his 60s who was driving a Ford Escape sport utility vehicle was rushed to hospital, where he died of his injuries, said traffic services Const. Clint Stibbe.
The man's passenger, a 39-year-old woman, is in critical but stable condition in hospital, Stibbe said.
Two other men, including the driver of the Co-op taxicab, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Stibbe said the 23-year-old man who was driving the cab fled the scene but was arrested nearby. The man is not the rightful driver of the cab and is not employed by the cab company, police said.
Police say they are investigating whether the taxi went through a red light just before the collision.
Investigators are speaking with the person who was meant to be driving the cab. Police said he was not in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
The crash caused the pickup truck hauling a trailer to roll onto its side. It also demolished the front end of the taxi. The cab then caught fire, and firefighters extinguished the flames.
At least one person was trapped in one of the vehicles.
Charges are expected to be laid in the incident, Stibbe said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1900 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
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