Officer Struck in Toronto
12-Year-Old Faces Attempted Murder Charge After Toronto Officer Struck by Stolen Car
Key Points
The SIU said the incident began after officers were called just after 1 a.m. to reports of a car theft near Donlands and O’Connor Drive, and escalated when “two police cruisers attempted to box in the stolen vehicle on the Leaside Bridge.”
SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said it was “not yet confirmed the nature of the boy’s injuries,” adding that the injuries “could be from a bullet, could be a graze, [or] could be glass from the vehicle.”
Investigators reported the stolen vehicle was later abandoned at Donlands and Floyd Avenues, and the driver was arrested on foot nearby at Donlands and Mortimer Avenues.
The SIU indicated that bullets struck the stolen vehicle during the efforts to stop it, but “the exact number of shots fired has not been established.”
Police said the stolen vehicle also had two other occupants aged 12 and 13, and one of those occupants remains outstanding.
A 12-year-old boy in Toronto has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly drove a stolen vehicle into a police officer on the Leaside Bridge just after 1 a.m. on Saturday, according to CP24. The officer suffered serious injuries but has since been discharged from hospital. The boy was arrested on foot nearby and taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The case has shocked the country. At 12, the accused is the youngest age at which a child can face criminal charges in Canada under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw called it "deeply concerning to see a child this young involved in such a serious and violent incident," CBC reported.
How a Car Theft Turned Into a Shooting on Leaside Bridge
Officers were called to the Donlands and O'Connor Drive area in East York just after 1 a.m. after reports of a vehicle theft, according to CTV News. Two police cruisers tracked the stolen car and tried to box it in on the Leaside Bridge — a tactic where officers use their vehicles to trap and stop a fleeing car. The driver allegedly accelerated and struck one of the officers during that attempt.
Officers fired their weapons multiple times during the confrontation. The stolen car fled south and was found abandoned at Donlands and Floyd Avenues. The 12-year-old driver was arrested on foot minutes later at Donlands and Mortimer Avenues, CHCH reported. Two other occupants — aged 12 and 13 — ran from the scene. One remains outstanding.
SIU Investigates Shots Fired at a Car Carrying Children
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit — the province's independent watchdog for serious police-involved incidents — has taken over the investigation. The SIU confirmed that bullets struck the stolen vehicle, but said "the exact number of shots fired has not been established." SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said the boy's injuries are still being assessed. "It could be from a bullet, could be a graze, or could be glass from the vehicle," she said, according to CP24.
The SIU has not yet confirmed whether the officer was struck before or after shots were fired. That sequence matters legally and operationally — it could shape how both the shooting and the attempted murder charge are evaluated. The watchdog's forensic review is ongoing.
Charges Against a 12-Year-Old Are Extremely Rare in Canada
The boy faces five charges in total: attempted murder, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, theft of a motor vehicle over $5,000, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and failing to stop for police, Timmins Today reported. His name cannot be published under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Attempted murder charges against a 12-year-old are considered exceedingly rare in Ontario.
Toronto Police Association president Jon Reid said the incident "underscores the dangers our members face daily," noting the officer was "intentionally struck while trying to protect the community from auto theft," according to CBC. The stolen vehicle was also linked to a separate shooting in East York earlier that week, investigators said.
Toronto's Auto Theft Surge Puts Young Kids in the Front Seat
The incident fits a troubling pattern in the Greater Toronto Area. More than 12,000 vehicles were stolen in Toronto in the year before the incident — a nearly 25% jump year-over-year. Security experts say organized crime networks are deliberately recruiting children as young as 12 to carry out high-risk thefts. The logic is blunt: kids face lighter sentences and are less likely to be seen as threats.
The fact that a 12-year-old was behind the wheel of a stolen car at 1 a.m. — connected to a shooting — has renewed debate about both youth justice and police tactics. Advocacy groups have questioned whether firing at a car carrying children was proportionate. Ontario Premier Doug Ford used the case to call for stricter sentences for auto-related crimes, though youth justice remains a federal matter under the YCJA, CHCH reported.
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