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A cyclist suspected of stealing from a Halifax grocery store was taken to hospital Sunday after two police officers who drove the wrong way down a one-way street to pursue him ran into his bicycle.
Wren De La Rue, who lives on Maynard Street, says they were watching television with their partner on Sunday afternoon when they heard the sound of police sirens and a loud bang in short succession.
“My partner went and peeked his head through the blinds and was like, don’t look outside,” De La Rue said Monday.
In front of their apartment, they said, they saw a man sprawled face down on the pavement next to his mangled bicycle, screaming in agony.
“We saw the cop get out of his car and [he] started cuffing the man on the ground, whose back tire was bent in half, and the cruiser was more or less wrapped around this pole.”
In an email, Halifax Regional Police said the collision occurred after police responded to a report of a theft at the Real Canadian Superstore on Quinpool Road that came in around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
“A short time later, two officers driving a patrol vehicle spotted the suspect on Nora Bernard Street and activated their lights and siren,” police said.
“The bicycle turned onto Maynard Street and as police followed, they collided with the suspect and then subsequently collided with a power pole.”
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The suspect and one of the officers were transported to hospital, while the other officer was treated by Emergency Health Services on the scene, police said.
‘I don’t know how you’re going to justify this’
De La Rue, meanwhile, wants to see a proper investigation into the collision.
They plan to file a report with the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner about the incident.
“I don’t know how you’re going to justify this,” they said. “It’s the first nice day we’ve had this year, we have Dee Dee’s [Ice Cream] around the corner which it had a lineup all day, there are small children that live in this area that are regularly on the sidewalks, and you came flying down the wrong way.”
Learning what the man was suspected of doing only makes the pursuit more perplexing, they said.
“You could have done so much damage. You could have hurt so many people. Over groceries,” De La Rue said.
In an email, the province’s police watchdog said it is aware of the incident and is reviewing the situation to determine if it meets their mandate for an independent investigation.
Halifax police declined an interview request, citing the possibility of an investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team, but did say the incident is being reviewed internally.
In a subsequent news release, police said a 37-year-old man is set to appear in court at a later date to face charges of theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property under $5,000.
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