A Calgary police officer has been dismissed after he chased after a suspected impaired driver at speeds up to 145 kilometres an hour through residential areas and the downtown core. The incident happened seven years ago and involved nine counts of professional misconduct.
On Dec. 15, 2008, Sgt. Anthony Braile stopped a driver suspected of impaired driving. The suspect was driving a Ford F-350 pickup truck, and sped away from Braile at a high rate of speed, police said.
Braile then notified police dispatch of the attempted traffic stop and the direction the truck drove off in. He told dispatch he wasn’t following the truck, but instead took off after him for about an hour over a distance of 52 kilometres. Police said the high-speed chase was in less than favourable road and weather conditions.
While Braile was driving the wrong way on 5 Ave. S.W., the pickup truck crashed into a cab, causing serious injuries to the taxi driver.
Sgt. Braile also used Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) messaging off the air to direct another unit under his command to assist in the chase.
“At the scene of the collision, Sgt. Braile provided misleading and incomplete information to the District 1 Sergeant and the Duty Inspector who were working that evening,” police said in a statement. “A criminal prosecution resulted, with Sgt. Braile ultimately pleading guilty to a charge of careless driving under the Traffic Safety Act (TSA).”
Braile was dismissed from the Calgary Police Service on Feb. 3 after a lengthy disciplinary proceeding.