Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating a crash in Guelph’s northwest end on Sunday morning that put a man in hospital with critical injuries.
Police said they were called to the area of Bagot Street and Willow Road at around 4:30 a.m. with reports of an incident.
In a news release on Sunday, police said in an “unrelated occurrence,” a driver fled the area at a high rate of speed and eventually crashed near Silvercreek Parkway and Campbell Road.
The Special Investigations Unit, however, said on Monday that the vehicle was linked to the investigation on Bagot Street and was being followed by Guelph police when it fled.
“At the time that’s the information we had, but we cannot comment further now that the SIU has invoked their mandate,” said Const. Josh Fraser when asked to clarify why police initially said it was an “unrelated occurrence.”
The SIU said the vehicle crashed into a pole and the 29-year-old driver was ejected. He remains in critical condition.
It’s not known if police were still pursuing the vehicle when it crashed.
A stretch of Silvercreek Parkway was closed for several hours for the investigation, but it reopened Sunday afternoon.
The Special Investigations Unit was notified about the incident and three investigators — two forensic investigators and one collision reconstructionist — have been assigned to the incident.
The SIU said one “subject officer” and three “witness officers” will be interviewed.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates incidents involving police that results in death, serious injuries or allegations of sexual assault.