Durham police say they were called to a car theft in progress prior to an overnight collision that sent two suspects and two officers to hospital.
The incident, which is now being investigated by Ontario's police watchdog, happened on Sultana Square, near Whites Road and Sheppard Avenue, at around 4:15 a.m. Tuesday morning.
"Officers arrived on scene and they located a suspect fleeing from the residence," Durham police Const. Nicholas Gluckstein told CTV News Toronto. "He entered a vehicle. That vehicle attempted to flee the area but it was involved in a collision. The driver of that vehicle fled on foot but he was arrested a short distance away."
Officers and the Canine Unit pursued the driver of the vehicle on foot and apprehended him, Gluckstein said.
According to police, the vehicle involved in the collision was stolen and the suspects were attempting to steal other vehicles in the area.
Three suspects are in custody, police said. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said a 21-year-old passenger and a 27-year-old passenger from the suspect vehicle were transported to hospital to be treated for serious injuries sustained in the collision.
Two officers sustained minor injuries in the collision as well and were transported to a local hospital for treatment, Durham police said.
Images from the scene showed a police cruiser with extensive front-end damage several feet away from a damaged sedan resting next to a tree on someone’s front lawn.
Three investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case, the SIU said.
The SIU is an arm’s length provincial agency called in to investigate any time police are involved in an incident which results in a death, serious injuries, or allegations of sexual assault.
