Officer charged in collision that seriously injured an 18-year-old

A Toronto police officer has been charged in connection with a collision that seriously injured an 18-year-old in Whitby last June.

According to the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), officers were looking for a male suspect on the night of June 25, 2024 and found him riding a scooter with another person in a Canadian Tire parking lot at 4100 Garden Street.

Detective Constable Joshua Baksh pursued the suspect in an unmarked police vehicle and collided with the scooter rider, causing serious injuries, the SIU said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Following a months-long investigation, the province’s police watchdog said it found reasonable grounds to believe Baksh committed a criminal offence during the course of the arrest. He is facing two charges, including dangerous driving and assault with a weapon.

He is scheduled to appear in court on March 12, 2025. No other details were released.

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police, among other officials, that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.