Toronto officer who struck jaywalker, breaking her ankles, won’t face charges: SIU

The province’s police watchdog says a Toronto officer who struck a jaywalker, breaking both of her ankles, won’t face criminal charges.

The Special Investigations Unit says the 57-year-old woman was walking along a downtown street on the afternoon of Oct. 2, 2015, and began crossing the street at an intersection without a crosswalk.

At the same time, a police cruiser slowing to a stop just past the intersection in the curb lane struck the woman causing several fractures to both of her ankles.

The SIU says its investigation included analysis of closed circuit television images from two nearby businesses, a collision reconstruction and an interview with a witness.

Acting SIU director Joseph Martino says the evidence suggests the woman’s vision may have been obscured by a hood she was wearing at the time.

Martino also says the officer must accept his share of responsibility for the collision as it does not appear he saw the woman until the point of contact.

“It does not appear the officer had been operating his cruiser in a dangerous fashion prior to the collision. In fact, the officer had slowed and had just about come to a stop when the collision occurred,” Martino said Tuesday in a release.

“The woman was jaywalking at the time and ought to have been paying greater attention to roadway traffic, but seems to have completely missed the presence of the cruiser travelling toward her,” he said.

The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.