A 12-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder after a stolen car was struck by a Toronto police officer during a dramatic overnight incident in East York.Police say officers were called to the area near Dunlands and O’Connor Drive just after 1 a.m. after reports of a carjacking.According to the county Special Investigations Unit, the situation escalated when two police cruisers attempted to corner the stolen vehicle on the Leeside Bridge. When the driver tried to flee, he hit an officer who was outside the patrol car.The officer fired his firearm several times in an attempt to stop the vehicle, which also had two other occupants, ages 12 and 13, the SIU said. It remains unclear whether the shots were fired before or after the officer was struck.“So, the nature of the boy’s injuries has not yet been confirmed. Right now it could be a bullet wound, a scratch, or glass from the car. We don’t know that yet, but what we do know is that they are non-life-threatening injuries at this point,” SIU spokeswoman Christy Dennett said.The stolen vehicle was later abandoned at Dunlands and Floyd Avenues. The driver was arrested on foot nearby at Dunlands and Mortimer Avenues.
He was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. It is still unclear whether these injuries were caused by gunfire.Police said one of the vehicle’s occupants is still outstanding.The officer who was injured was taken to hospital with serious injuries but was later released from the hospital. Bullets hit the stolen car as it was trying to stop it, but the exact number of shots fired has not been determined.The accused cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. They face multiple charges including attempted murder, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of property valued at more than $5,000, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop for police, assaulting a peace officer and leaving the scene of an accident.
