Police officer stabbed, suspect shot in Toronto's west end

A police officer stabbed and a suspect shot in the city's west end Friday afternoon are both in stable condition, Toronto police say.

Police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the incident happened near College Street and Lansdowne Avenue around 1:30 p.m.

Toronto police deputy chief Lauren Pogue said officers went to the scene at 1:00 p.m., looking for a person in crisis. When they arrived, officers attempted to apprehend a man, and one officer was stabbed. An officer then shot their firearm.

Ontario's police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), has invoked its mandate to investigate, as is the case whenever someone is seriously hurt or killed when police officers are involved.

In its own statement, the SIU said officers were called to a home about a man in crisis. The man was found outside a Tim Horton's and police tried to take him in under the Mental Health Act. An officer discharged a conducted energy weapon, or Taser, at the man as a struggle ensued. The man allegedly stabbed an officer and the officer shot the man, it said.

It's unclear if the officer who used the Taser was the same one who shot the man.

The SIU says five investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case.

"Our officer is surrounded by his colleagues and has the full support of command and all Toronto Police Service members," said Pogue.

Anyone who was in the area are asked to contact the SIU.

"The SIU knows there were a number of people who were in the area of the Tim Hortons at the time of the shooting and investigators are looking to speak to them," the agency said in an email to CBC Toronto Saturday.

'Nobody had to get hurt today'

A woman who identified herself as the girlfriend of the man shot told CBC Toronto she was sitting with him inside Tim Hortons when police showed up.

"Sometimes when a person gets stressed, they can do things that they don't necessarily mean," Francie Peria said. "I think it's just messed up that he's been shot and right now I don't know how he's doing."

"It could have been avoided in the sense that nobody had to get hurt today, especially shot or stabbed," she said. "He's never hurt anyone before."

She also claims police had a warrant for his arrest, but isn't clear what the content of the warrant may have been.

The Special Investigations said officers were called to a home about a man in crisis. The man was found outside a Tim Horton's and police tried to take him in under the Mental Health Act before the altercation. (Lane Harrison/CBC)

Concerns over recent incidents

The Toronto Police Association said in a statement that the officer is conscious and breathing and was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect was shot during an altercation and was also taken to hospital, it said.

Speaking to the media outside St. Michael's Hospital, TPA president Jon Reid said he's spoken with the injured officer and the officer is in good spirits.

Reid also said because the SIU has invoked it's mandate, he could not comment on this incident specifically, but he expressed concern following recent incidents of violence against officers.

"I have had enough with what's going on in the city. This is the third officer we've had injured now in three days... It has to stop."

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow wished the injured officer a quick recovery in a post on X and also noted that three officers have been injured on the job this week.

"One assaulted walking down the street, another hurt intervening in a car theft, and now this troubling incident," Chow posted. "Violence is never acceptable."