Police horse killed in hit-and-run incident
Last updated Feb 27 2006 10:35 AM EST
CBC News
Toronto Police are mourning the loss of one of their horses following a hit-and-run accident in Scarborough. Brigadier was hit by a van just before 7 p.m. Friday as mounted officers attempted to pull over the vehicle near Lawrence Avenue East and Kingston Road. Police said the motorist initially drove away from the officers when they told him to pull over. He then made a U-turn and drove the van directly at the mounted officers, police said. The van sped away after hitting Brigadier. The badly injured horse was euthanized at the scene. His rider, Const. Kevin Bradfield, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police located the abandoned vehicle a short distance away. Later Friday evening, a 42-year-old man was arrested and charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, and failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm. He was held in custody over the weekend and was scheduled to make a second court appearance Monday. Staff Insp. Bill Wardle, the unit commander of the Toronto Police Mounted and Police Dog Service, said Brigadier's death has touched many people. "The officers' families are devastated because Brigadier was a member of their family," Wardle said. "All of us here can understand that." A memorial service for Brigadier is scheduled for Thursday. Until then, the flag will fly at half-mast over the police stables on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition.
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