A York Regional Police officer killed early Tuesday morning was run over and dragged to his death when the driver of a stolen van he had just stopped suddenly accelerated in a bid to escape, homicide investigators believe.
Constable Garrett Styles, 32, had parked his cruiser directly behind the suspect vehicle, walked up to it and discovered two teenagers inside – a male and a female, a police source said.
The officer ran the licence plate, discovered the owner was neither of the two juveniles and reached inside for the keys.
At that point, the van suddenly lurched forward, pinning Constable Styles underneath and dragging him with it.
Constable Styles was able to radio for help and was rushed to nearby Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.
“It’s with deep regret that I advise you that a very competent and capable police officer of York Regional Police has succumbed to his injuries this morning as a result of a traffic stop,” York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe told reporters outside the hospital.
The two suspects were arrested at the scene, in East Gwillimbury, north of Toronto. The male driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Constable Styles, a seven-year veteran of the police force, is survived by his wife, Melissa, and two young children.
Chief Jolliffe, who appeared shaken, said the officer’s family had asked for “space to deal with their loss.”
Television images of the scene show a van stopped in a grassy area off the highway, with long track marks behind it. The vehicle has damage to its front end.
Homicide detectives, along with collision-reconstruction and canine teams, are investigating.
Special Investigations Unit spokesman Frank Phillips said his agency would not be taking a role in scrutinizing events.
Normally deaths and serious injuries incurred during police-civilian encounters are examined by Ontario’s civilian-staffed SIU. But because Constable Styles died of his injuries, the matter rests with the York Regional homicide squad, Mr. Phillips said.
The incident occurred at Highway 48 and Herald Road in East Gwillimbury at 4:50 a.m. Constable Styles died shortly after 6 a.m.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak extended condolences to Constable Styles’s family.
Constable Styles joined York Regional Police as a cadet-in-training in December of 2003 and became a constable in May, 2004. He worked in uniform patrol in the force’s No. 1 District, which covers Newmarket, Aurora and East Gwillimbury.
He is the 10th York Region police officer to die in the line of duty.
The most recent casualty before him – also felled by a car – was Detective-Constable Robert Plunkett, who was slain in August, 2007.
Constable Plunkett’s killer has been convicted of manslaughter and is to be sentenced in Newmarket on Wednesday. The prosecution is seeking a penitentiary sentence of at least 10 years.
Constable Garrett Styles, 32, had parked his cruiser directly behind the suspect vehicle, walked up to it and discovered two teenagers inside – a male and a female, a police source said.
The officer ran the licence plate, discovered the owner was neither of the two juveniles and reached inside for the keys.
At that point, the van suddenly lurched forward, pinning Constable Styles underneath and dragging him with it.
Constable Styles was able to radio for help and was rushed to nearby Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.
“It’s with deep regret that I advise you that a very competent and capable police officer of York Regional Police has succumbed to his injuries this morning as a result of a traffic stop,” York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe told reporters outside the hospital.
The two suspects were arrested at the scene, in East Gwillimbury, north of Toronto. The male driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Chief Jolliffe, who appeared shaken, said the officer’s family had asked for “space to deal with their loss.”
Television images of the scene show a van stopped in a grassy area off the highway, with long track marks behind it. The vehicle has damage to its front end.
Homicide detectives, along with collision-reconstruction and canine teams, are investigating.
Special Investigations Unit spokesman Frank Phillips said his agency would not be taking a role in scrutinizing events.
Normally deaths and serious injuries incurred during police-civilian encounters are examined by Ontario’s civilian-staffed SIU. But because Constable Styles died of his injuries, the matter rests with the York Regional homicide squad, Mr. Phillips said.
The incident occurred at Highway 48 and Herald Road in East Gwillimbury at 4:50 a.m. Constable Styles died shortly after 6 a.m.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak extended condolences to Constable Styles’s family.
Constable Styles joined York Regional Police as a cadet-in-training in December of 2003 and became a constable in May, 2004. He worked in uniform patrol in the force’s No. 1 District, which covers Newmarket, Aurora and East Gwillimbury.
He is the 10th York Region police officer to die in the line of duty.
The most recent casualty before him – also felled by a car – was Detective-Constable Robert Plunkett, who was slain in August, 2007.
Constable Plunkett’s killer has been convicted of manslaughter and is to be sentenced in Newmarket on Wednesday. The prosecution is seeking a penitentiary sentence of at least 10 years.
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