TORONTO — A Toronto police officer was rushed to hospital after being shot in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday as investigators searched for a suspect.
There was no immediate word on the officer’s condition by Wednesday night, and the force said the province’s police watchdog was investigating.
The shooting took place around 5:30 p.m. after officers stopped a vehicle while conducting an investigation in the Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue area.
Police said an officer discharged a firearm at the scene.
They said one person was arrested at the scene and another was still at large. They did not immediately provide a suspect description.
The shooting led to rush-hour chaos in what is a bustling part of the city, with sirens blaring, a stretch of a major thoroughfare shut down and traffic gridlock.
A little over an hour after the shooting, police said the Special Investigations Unit had invoked its mandate.
The SIU investigates circumstances involving police and civilians that result in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said Wednesday night that she wished the officer who was shot a “full and quick recovery.”
“Front-line officers put themselves in harm’s way every day, and every officer deserves to go home safe,” she wrote on X.
Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said his thoughts were with the officer, their family and the entire force.
“Violence against police officers is never acceptable,” he wrote on X.
The SIU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.