London officer cleared after motorcycle crashed during pursuit

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) has cleared a London police officer of criminal charges after a motorcyclist being pursued crashed into another vehicle.

The incident happened around 1:20 p.m. on March 6, according to a report from the SIU. A patrol officer in a marked cruiser was heading west on Oxford Street East when they noticed a pair of motorcycles at a stop light. Both of the bikes reportedly matched the description of a motorcycle that had evaded officers earlier that day.

When the light turned green, the motorcyclists proceeded in different directions and the officer began to follow one of the individuals. When the officer tried to pull over the motorcycle, the driver is alleged to have briefly stopped before taking off.

According to the SIU, the officer began to search for the motorcycle, scanning nearby side streets when they located the bike lying on the the road at the intersection of St. George and Regent streets.

The driver is said to have crashed into another vehicle in the area after they allegedly blew through several stop signs. The driver of the passenger vehicle suffered minor injuries while the rider sustained serious injuries including a fractured orbital bone (eye socket).

Late Monday, SIU Director Joseph Martino stated there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed a crime in connection with the motorcyclist’s injuries.

“There is no indication of excessive speed at any time by the officer as he traveled along the same route he had seen the [rider] take before losing sight of him,” Martino said in his report. “Lastly, it bears noting that the officer was about a minute behind the motorcycle at the time of the collision, negating any suggestion that he unduly pushed the [rider].”

The SIU has since closed the investigation.

Read original story from London Ontario – BlackburnNews.com