A man and woman who were out on bail now face new charges after the driver of a stolen vehicle allegedly injured an officer and a horse with the Mounted Unit in the downtown core.
Toronto Police said officers were alerted by their Automatic Licence Plate Reader about a stolen vehicle in the Queen St. W. and Beverley St. area shortly after 3 p.m. on Friday.
Cops allege the Mounted Unit attempted to stop the stolen vehicle on Queen St. W. but the driver struck a police horse and rammed several police vehicles while trying to escape. The stolen vehicle then mounted the sidewalk and struck the front window of a business.
One suspect was arrested at the scene while a second suspect fled on foot and was pursued by officers, police said. Cops arrested the second suspect a short distance away.
According to police, one officer was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries while the police horse was transported to an emergency animal hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Jonathan Chabot Desrosiers, 33, of no fixed address, is charged with theft of a motor vehicle, possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000, injuring certain animals, two counts of mischief/damage property over $5,000, four counts of assault peace officer with a weapon, dangerous operation of a vehicle, and common nuisance/endanger lives or safety of public.
Cedar Nicholas, 30, of no fixed address, is charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Police said both were out on bail at the time of the incident. It is unknown what other charges the pair faces.
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Police Chief Myron Demkiw shared a statement to social media Friday night following the arrests.
“Thankful … that an injured officer will recover and no members of the public were hurt during the dynamic arrest of two people in a stolen vehicle …,” he wrote.
“The driver of the car allegedly drove into multiple police cars and also made contact with one of our three responding horses, York, who has been taken to the vet as a precaution. Our officers do incredible but often dangerous work keeping our city safe. Thank you to all of our members for what you do everyday.”
Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or may have video of the incident to contact investigators at 416-808-5200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or online at 222tips.com.