Suspect vehicle drives ‘head-on’ into Durham police cruiser during pursuit, multiple injured

A suspect vehicle drove “head-on” into a Durham Regional Police cruiser during a pursuit in Pickering, causing multiple people to be injured, police say.

Durham police said on X that the force’s collision investigation unit, along with the province’s police watchdog the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), were on scene in the area of Sultana Square and Foxwood Trail, a residential neighbourhood near Whites Road North and Sheppard Avenue.

In a news release issued Tuesday morning, police said the incident happened at around 4:10 a.m.

A police spokesperson told Global News that officers were contacted when someone saw three men trying to steal a vehicle.

“Police arrived on scene and located all three suspects entering a vehicle,” the spokesperson said.

“A pursuit was initiated and the suspect vehicle drove head-on into a police cruiser.”

One of the suspects was taken to a trauma centre in Toronto with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

A second suspect was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the third was taken into custody “without incident,” the spokesperson said.

Officers who were involved in the crash suffered minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital, police said.

The release added that after the collision, the driver of the suspect vehicle fled the scene on foot and was taken into custody a short distance away.

The SIU, meanwhile, has since confirmed that it is investigating.

The SIU said it has assigned three investigators and two forensic investigators to the case.

The watchdog agency said the two occupants of the vehicle who were taken to hospital were 21 and 27 years old. They were reported to have suffered serious injuries.

The SIU is an independent agency that investigates incidents involving police that have resulted in death, serious injury or alleged sexual assault.