Toronto Police work the scene where an officer was shot responding to an e-bike robbery in Toronto, Thursday.Keito Newman/The Canadian Press
A Toronto officer was shot in the upper thigh early Thursday morning while arresting a man suspected of stealing an electric bike, police said.
Deputy police Chief Lauren Pogue said officers ran after the suspect after receiving a robbery call around 3 a.m. in the area of Sherbourne Street and Bloor Street East. During his arrest, the man allegedly pulled out a gun and shot an officer.
Pogue said other officers rushed to put a tourniquet on his leg as they waited for paramedics to arrive. The officer was taken to hospital with injuries that are serious but not life-threatening.
A 27-year-old man who was out on bail was arrested, and police seized a firearm, Pogue said. Another suspect is still wanted.
Pogue said the shooting is concerning for the force that is still grieving Const. Marc Pinizzotto, who was fatally shot during a police raid in June.
“Here we go again,” said Clayton Campbell, president of the Toronto Police Association, noting that 600 officers have been injured at work this year.
“The violence we’re seeing against our members is unacceptable,” Campbell added at a news conference outside St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto.
Mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement on social media that the shooting is “another reminder of what front-line officers face each day as they serve our city and work to keep people safe.”
The officer who was shot has been with Toronto police for around three years, Pogue said.
Police said they will release a more detailed update, including a list of charges, later on Thursday.