A Toronto police officer drove into a pole in the bike lane and it’s very, very strange

After some bizarre footage emerged of a Toronto police officer losing control of their vehicle on Saturday and veering into a bike lane (almost killing a rider), many are wondering just what happened. The incident, in which a cop smashed their cruiser into a light pole, causing it to crash onto the sidewalk below, was reported by the police just before 9 a.m. on Saturday. Police notified public of the single-vehicle collision, leading to the closure of the area for an investigation.

Many questions as to the cause of erratic driving

Accusations quickly surfaced on social media. Unconfirmed reports suggested that the driver was being questioned on suspicion of driving under the influence or possibly experiencing a medical episode that could have led to the crash.

David Shellnutt, a.k.a. The Biking Lawyer, posted on X about the incident. “We hope this officer is ok. That said, certainly questions around what happened. What impaired their ability to operate the motor vehicle to the point of leaving the road, crossing a bike lane and hitting a pole?  This is a busy pedestrian corner.”

Sadly another @TorontoPolice 🧵What we’ve witnessed here is both a miracle & wildly serious incident of potential road violence wherein yesterday a TPS officer narrowly missed injuring multiple pedestrians (barring some freak unlikely medical emergency). pic.twitter.com/Hdn0lRWZZA

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) February 25, 2024

Witnesses claim the police officer may have under the influence

A post by 6BuzzTV included clips from bystanders suggesting that the officer may have been under the influence. It should be noted none of these claims are confirmed.

The police officer was seen stumbling and slurring her words. Witnesses said she was heard saying “30 is the new 20” while crying 😳 pic.twitter.com/Y5ZYnkqO3A

— 6ixBuzzTV (@6ixbuzztv) February 24, 2024

Videos from other angles show how close the driver was to hitting the e-bike rider. (Who was riding on the sidewalk at the time.)

Could have been much worse

In an email to Canadian Cycling Magazine, Shellnutt said the collision could have been much worse for nearby vulnerable road users. “We are glad the officer wasn’t seriously injured. Furthermore, we hope they are getting the support they need,” he wrote. “We are equally grateful several nearby pedestrians were not injured or killed. They cut off a pedestrian, turned into a bike lane, jumped the sidewalk, then hit a massive pole.”