Toronto policeman killed by stolen plow

[MindBomber]

RIP Sgt. Ryan Russel.

TORONTO - An attempt to stop a stolen snowplow during a wild police chase through snowy city streets ended in tragedy Wednesday when an officer was struck by the vehicle and killed.

Sgt. Ryan Russell, an 11-year member of the force who was married with a small son, died of his injuries in hospital.

"This is the worst of days for the Toronto Police Service," a sombre Chief Bill Blair said outside the hospital emergency entrance shortly after Russell, 35, succumbed.

"(He) put his life on the line and tragically has lost his life."

A man was arrested about seven kilometres from where Russell was hit.

Blair would only say the man received "certain injuries" during his arrest, but investigators said police opened fire on him and he was hit by at least one bullet.

The man was taken to the same emergency room that attempted to save Russell's life.

The incident began at about 5 a.m. when someone stole a snowplow, which was equipped with a GPS tracking device, from a downtown parking lot near Dundas and Parliament streets.

Richard Eros, general manager of Tolias Landscaping and Plowing, said two operators were clearing a lot in the city's Regent Park neighbourhood when they got out of the truck.

Without warning, a man who appeared to be his 40s and without shoes jumped in and drove off in the Chevy 3500 pickup.

"They even were right beside the vehicle and they had a chance to grab the door and instantly it was gone before they even knew what had happened," Eros said.

The company alerted police to the stolen vehicle, which had a plow on the front and a salt dispenser on the back.

The plow, driven erratically, sped through snowy and slushy streets, hitting several vehicles on the way.

About 40 minutes later at a midtown intersection, police tried to get the man to stop and Russell was struck.

Paramedics worked frantically on him at the scene before rushing him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Officers finally caught up with the plow in the city's west end - about two hours after the initial theft and some 10 kilometres from where it was stolen - when it hit a city vehicle.

Heavily armed emergency officers made the arrest.

A second police officer was slightly hurt in the incident.

Police did not identify the suspect in custody or say whether he was previously known to them.

"We responded to a theft of a vehicle and things transpired from there," spokeswoman Const. Wendy Drummond said.

Russell, whose father was also a police officer, had been promoted to sergeant six months ago after working with the city's guns and gangs task force.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford called Russell a "shining example" of the men and women who put their lives on the line as officers.

"(They) earn the respect and appreciation of us all."

Eros said the tracking device used to keep tabs on the company's snow-clearing operations sends a signal via satellite to a computer at its office. That allowed him to notify police about the plow's whereabouts.

"Originally, it was just a vehicle stolen - I thought we would have it recovered within the hour, maybe just abandoned and not a big deal whatsoever," Eros said.

"What transpired is actually a horrible tragedy."

Hours after the incident, police were still interviewing the two employees who were with the vehicle when it was stolen.

Mike McCormack, of the city's police union, called it a "tragic day," saying Russell had made the "ultimate sacrifice" doing his duty.

"We've lost a great officer, a great friend, a husband and a father," McCormack said.

"I can't imagine the grief that the family is going through right now."

The provincial Special Investigations Unit was probing the incident.

"During the investigation of the driver, a number of shots were fired by police," the unit said in a statement.

"The driver sustained gunshot injuries and was taken by ambulance to St. Mike's Hospital in Toronto."

Alok Mukherjee, chairman of the Toronto Police Services Board, said the city shared in the family's grief, and added such tragedies are rare but "affect all of us" when they occur.

Premier Dalton McGuinty called the tragedy a "grim reminder" that the dangers of policing cannot be taken for granted.

"All Ontarians are shocked by this tragedy, and we stand united in supporting Sgt. Russell's family," McGuinty said in a statement.

[MindBomber]

Slightly more detailed CTV story as well.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said the death of Sgt. Ryan Russell while trying to stop a stolen snowplow Wednesday is a reminder of “how dangerous our work can be."

Blair had the “grim task” of telling the 35-year-old officer’s family that Russell had been killed in the line of duty -- the force’s first such death since 2002.

"He is a hero of the Toronto Police Service who went out this morning to do his job. And in doing his job, he gave his life,” the chief said.

Did you witness this incident? Please send photos or videos to MyNews Toronto

When Blair spoke earlier at St. Michael's Hospital, he told reporters: "This is the worst of days for the Toronto Police Service."

Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association, called the tragedy “our worst nightmare."

Russell leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son. The former member of the guns and gangs task force, promoted to sergeant at downtown's 52 Division about six months ago, is the son of a former Toronto police officer.

What happened

Police were alerted around 5:30 a.m. that a privately owned snowplow had been stolen from the Dundas and Parliament Streets area.

"Somebody ran across the road with no shoes on and just jumped in the truck and took off," said plow owner Peter Tolias.

Police attempted to stop the vehicle after it was spotted driving erratically through the downtown core on Avenue Road, just north of Bloor Street, just after 6 a.m.

At one point, the truck backed through the front window of a luxury car dealership near Avenue Road and Bloor Street before crashing into a taxicab. According to the taxi's driver, the truck reportedly turned around and struck his cab again before continuing its journey northward.

Russell was struck by the snowplow at the intersection of Davenport and Avenue Roads. The collision left him pinned against his cruiser as he tried to bring the snowplow to a halt.

CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney said as of noon, Russell's car was still running.

Fellow officers and EMS personnel tried to provide CPR at the scene as the officer lay on the snowy road with a terrible head injury.

Rory O'Neill, one of the first paramedics to arrive on the scene, said attempts to revive Russell, who was already without vital signs, appeared to happen in slow motion.

"You're talking out loud asking guys for input: what can you do, what do you think, let's try this," O'Neill told CTV Toronto. "And the whole time you're thinking it's taking too long to get there. Three minutes to get here, four minutes to get down to St. Mike's and it seems to take forever. And you know that there's noting you can do, he needs a surgeon, he needs the trauma unit to do the best that they can. And it's frustrating."

Paramedics rushed Russell to the trauma unit, but the 11-year police veteran's life could not be saved.

Homicide investigators remained at the scene for much of the day Wednesday, and police say Avenue Road between Davenport Rd. and Dupont St. could be blocked off for three days.

Takedown

The suspect drove the snowplow away from the scene of the crash and continued west, crashing into parked cars and buildings.

Police followed the truck with the help of Tolias by using the vehicle's GPS device.

The nearly two-hour pursuit stretched for more than 10 kilometres. It finally ended shortly after 7 a.m. when the truck struck a vehicle and came to a stop in the Humberside Avenue and Keele Street area after heading south on Keele.

Motorists told CTV Toronto's John Musselman they were forced to swerve to avoid being hit by the snowplow.

"He was heading right towards me," Pierpaolo Miele said, who couldn't get out of the way. "That's when he hit the back passenger side and spun me out."

Then the police's Emergency Task Force arrived on the scene.

"Pops -- pop, pop, pop," said witness John Wilson about the sound of gunfire from police officers trying to apprehend the suspect. "I mean, the car had tried to move."

Witnesses report hearing as many as nine shots fired.

An ETF officer suffered a hand injury during the takedown, Blair said.

Toronto EMS took the suspect to St. Michael's Hospital, the same hospital where Russell was pronounced dead. News footage taken at the hospital showed the suspect being removed from the ambulance on a gurney without shoes on his feet.

In a news release issued Wednesday afternoon, the provincial Special Investigations Unit said the suspect has undergone surgery and is recovering in the intensive care unit.

The SIU is responsible for reviewing cases in which people have suffered injuries or died as a result of contact with police.

"The SIU has designated one officer as a subject officer and nine officers as witness officers. Four civilian witnesses have been interviewed," the release said.

Carm Piro, a spokesperson with the SIU, said the agency is co-ordinating its efforts at the scene with Toronto Police investigators.

"They obviously have a homicide investigation on their hands here, and we have to co-ordinate what's being seized and what's being processed here at the scene to preserve any evidence to support the investigation," Piro said.

Blair said no charges have been laid yet against the suspect, and the investigation is ongoing. CTV Toronto's Tamara Cherry reported that police know little about the suspect, who was not carrying any identification. However, late Wednesday they learned that he is 44 years old.

Details on funeral arrangements for Sgt. Russell will likely be known on Thursday, Blair said.

[StylinRed]

yeah i heard about this when it happened the officer was trying to stop a psycho who was already running into a lot of things with the plow but i guess he went a little extreme with his attempts sadly
cant read the article now but does this one say what the officer did? did he try jumping onto the plow or ???
Posted via RS Mobile

[MindBomber]

^

Russell was struck by the snowplow at the intersection of Davenport and Avenue Roads. The collision left him pinned against his cruiser as he tried to bring the snowplow to a halt.

[optiblue]

Frack, they should make it a rule that if a car is reported stolen, and the thieves fail to stop, police are
allowed to open fire!!
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[geeknerd]

i think they are allowed to open fire if the car is being used as a lethal weapon.

[buddy]

RIP

[b0unce. [?]]

according to the news when i watched this on tv, the officer did open fire but slipped on fresh snow or something?

[Gt-R R34]

Can't help but to think something similiar will happen sooner or later with the homeless in Vancouver.

Read somewhere the dude hasn't had a fixed address in over 5 years.

[Shun Izaki]

RIP

that's just fucked up, steal a plow and go dogfuck around town? sure... pin a cop? that's just... GTA.V