Fatal Pedestrian Struck

It was really quiet last night, save for the car accidents. Whenever it rains we can usually count on it being quiet. It seems though that people don't really change driving habits in rain. So if they go 130 km/hr on the 401 in the sunshine they just go the same speed in the rain. It means call after call for cars spun out and cars into the guard rail. I had listened to them all night then I heard this one that sounded so much more serious. The pedestrain was struck just north of St. Clair on Dufferin, crossing the road about 50 meters from a traffic light. First reports said he was thrown, then others said he was possibly vital signs absent. Paramedics tried to save him but the poor guy didn't make it. He didn't have identification on him so now police are trying to figure out who he was, so that next of kin can be notified. A large hole can be seen in the windshield of the Honda minivan that struck him.

Media Not Welcome in Peel Region

I had a run in with Peel Police tonight. I showed up at a house fire / grow op on Canvey Crescent at the same time as two other shooters from City and CP24. I could tell right away by the look on the Constables face that it was not going to go well. We all parked and as I approached his cruiser, which was blocking the road, I tried to warm him up by asking how his night was going. He was obviously a man of few words. I setup my tripod and asked him to call his Sergeant and let him know we were requesting access. As I started shooting down the road I noticed that all the neighbours were out on the street and a large group of about a dozen had gathered near the fire trucks.

I pointed this out to the cop and asked if we could go up. It was clear to me that no danger existed and no crime scene tape had been put up. He again refused access and I told him I was going up and that he better call his Sergeant. You might be asking yourself why I would be so confrontational with an officer. You have to realize that this is common practice in Peel Region. I could easily gather a large crowd of camera operators who have had disagreements with Peel Police. Almost always these are precipitated by lack of access to streets in the area of crime scenes and fires. It often seems containment is a higher priority than investigation. It would appear that the containment has more to do with keeping media out rather than preservation of evidence or investigation.

Standard practice for media responding to calls in Peel is to find access as quickly as possible without contact with officers at road blocks in the area. We know from years of experience that once inside the traffic perimeter we are generally allowed to do our job and leave, often very quickly as was the case tonight at the fire. If you approach a road block you may as well come back in a few hours, as you will inevitably sit and wait a long time. So we are forced to immediately look for lane ways, alleys or fields that we can cut through to get to the scene and join the handful of gawkers that usually are already on scene. This was the case tonight as it was clear that all the neighbours were out watching, but the only people not allowed down to the scene were, at least in the mind of the Constable, the arriving media. People had kids and dogs for God sake. It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that the fire is now out and it may be safe to let media closer. The firefighters were rolling up the hoses!

A quick survey of GTA media that asks them to rate each Police Department on a scale of one to ten may be eye opener for PRP. If media field personnel were asked to rate based on ease of access and ability to document events, PRP would surely find that they are clearly lowest on the list. I can show up at a serious car accident in Halton Region and be immediately escorted right down to the area of the accident, before the occupants are even in ambulances. They rank among the best to deal with in Ontario. OPP dealing with fatal highway accidents on 400 series highways have clear policies in place. A media officer is immediately called to the scene and escorts cameras so they do not interfere with evidence gathering. In fact as overnight camera operators we all have the cell phone number for OPP Media Sgt. Dave Woodford, and yes we can call him in the middle of the night. In Toronto we can attend murders and get what we need and seldom have any issues with officers. In York Region we can at least feel confident that they will do what they can to allow reasonable access. A York PD Duty Inspector is always on scene quickly, willing to tell us what he can and assure we have some information to work with. All of these things seem foreign to PRP and the only thing I can be assured of in Peel is that I will have no information and will have to fend for myself and sneak in to get video.

Further evidence of how hard it can be to cover news in Peel Region can be found on my blog in a post from last year. (http://latenightcam.blogspot.com/2009/06/when-is-shooting-not-shooting.html)  It was June 2009 when I attended a murder and had a similar experience. My colleagues from City, CTV and Global TV all share the same frustration that I do.  I feel it’s time for PRP to take a look at how they handle the media and how they are perceived by the media. Otherwise we will continue to show up already on guard and assuming the worst possible reception.

Sad Day for the Land of Smiles

I've made many trips to Thailand, meeting my wife there years ago. We have watched in horror as events unfolded in Bangkok over the last few days. It really hit home today when we found out that crowds were also burning buildings in Isaan, in the rural north east. We have family in Mukdahan, Khon Kean, Salakam and have traveled extensively in the North East. My mother-in-law lives in a small village just outside Mukdahan, along with my sister-in-law and her family.  We were in Thailand for most of February 2010 and were already hearing about trouble on the horizon when we were leaving. Even our cab driver, most of whom come from Isaan, warned us that big trouble was coming in March.

  Mukdahan May 2010

My brother-in-law went into Mukdahan this morning to get supplies. He told us by phone that he was stopped by police at a checkpoint, explaining to them he only wanted to get milk for his baby. My other brother-in-law went into Khon Kean but returned home. He said things were bad and that he heard Red Shirts were planning on burning a local bank.

Thai people are usually so peaceful. I guess you can only keep the poor man down for so long before he strikes back. Hopefully the current conflict will lead to a stronger democracy and peace in the Land of Smiles.

Murder on Eglinton West

It has been a while since we had a shooting on the night shift. In fact it's been fairly quiet overall. That came to an end last night about 2am when the call came in for a shooting on Elginton Ave West near Keele. Police are now confirming that a 15 year old male was shot in the face and died later in hospital. Police taped off the area and forensics will be on scene this morning.

Update: One in custody. Sheronnie Thomas turned himself in at 52 div May 18th. Good work by all involved. G+G shake that tree.

Tony Smyth - Fast Forward

Mustang Slams Into Wall

TFD and EMS work to free two victims pinned after a craash on Finch Ave West near Keele St overnight. @vaughanweather and @gtanews look on from the side lines. I also shot two seperate stabbings in opposite ends of the GTA. One was Winston Churchill and Hwy 403 and the other was Meadowvale Rd and Sheppard in Scarborough. I also went to the Brook and St. Mike's. I think I did all four corners of the GTA. One more shift until the weekend.

Shots Fired. Rush the Ambulance!

Police shot and killed a man last night at Cheery St and Commisioners St. I was actually in Etobicoke when they were involved in a chase. The chase was called off after the driver ran several red lights. He was last seen into the Port Lands. That was his biggest mistake as it only has three ways in and out. Police confronted him again on Commissioners St. and he failed to stop, striking one officer with his car. Shots were fired and the man was killed. SIU is now on the scene investigating.

Nothing is more stressful than listening to these words crackle out of your scanner. “Shots Fired! We need an ambulance.”

Good News and Bad News

Shooting Scene 1050 Brock Road Pickering

Thursday night shifts are always easy to take. I start at 9:15pm and by 5:30am Friday morning it's the weekend for me. We had only one decent call last night and that was for a shooting in Durham Region on Brock Rd in Pickering. I grabbed a shot of the victim arriving at Sunnybrook and headed to the seen. Not such a good night for the guy who got shot. The good news is that I found a giant rocking chair right across the street from the shooting scene. It begged for a photo. You can click on the images to enlarge them.

You Rock My World Baby

DVP Closed All Night

The DVP is busy at the best of times. It's a major problem when it has to be shut down. That's what happened last night just after midnight, after a three car rear end crash. An 18 year old women was trapped in one car and had to be cut out with the jaws of life. @trafficservices then needed to do full traffic reconstruction. The road was re-opened part way through the morning rush hour. Never a dull moment in the big city.

Steeles and Birchmount Accident

Here's a couple of shots from an accident this morning on Steeles at Birchmount. Witnesses say the SUV may have run a red light and t-boned the minivan. Looking at the wreck you can see it doesn't look good for the driver of the van. The whole driver's side was caved in. The intersection was closed for reconstruction by @TrafficServices. A red light camera at the intersection may have caught images of the accident.

Crash Kills 17 Year Old Driver

Peel Police are investigating an accident that killed a 17 year old boy last night in Mississauga. A car was west bound on Drew Rd when it left the road, destroyed a bus shelter and hit a tree. The driver was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. Police are asking for anyone that was in the area last evening, who may have scene anything, to call Peel Police Major Collision Bureau.

Police Pursuit and Crash

I’ve been covering news since 1987 and have never witnessed what I saw last night. Sure, I’ve been to police chases before, some of them fatal. I’ve seen people trapped in bad wrecks. I’ve seen teenagers ejected in crashes because they didn’t wear seat belts. Last night after 30 minutes working with the Jaws of Life to free a young girl trapped in a car the unexpected happened. A spark ignited leaking gas and in seconds firefighters were frantically trying to extinguish a fire that threatened the young girl trapped in the back seat. The firefighter worked really fast to put out the flames and it really was all over in about 15 seconds but it took my breath away, in a way that news seldom does after 23 years on the job.

The SIU may not be saying much but it’s no secret. The accident occurred within seconds of the first radio transmission. An officer was following a vehicle that was not stopping when attempting to pull it over. Before the usual questions could even be asked, speed, licence plate, description …. It was over. As the minivan approached the intersection of Albion and Highway 27 the van struck two vehicles, one worse than the other, trapping a nine year old girl in the back seat of the crushed wreckage. We could hear her crying in pain as they attended to her father who was bleeding and shaken.


From the minivan, police will allege that one male ran from the scene, the other who appeared incoherent, arrested right away. The runner didn’t make it far. Within moments they were both cuffed, of little consolation to the victims now being rushed to local hospitals. Today the details are sketchy in the news media. SIU is on the case. The facts will emerge at a snails pace. Police are forced to say nothing until SIU completes the investigation, although I would guess they would like the public to know what really happened. I think they did a great job, balancing the need to apprehend with the need for public safety. Although this incident was barely long enough to be called a pursuit, police call off most chases within minutes or at the first sign of erratic driving, a fact too well known among those trying to avoid apprehension.

Early Morning Fire Hits Queen West

Four alarm fire destroys a 3 storey apartment building on Lisgar St in 14 Division. Queen West was closed due to smoke conditions and traffic issues. It looked like they had this one licked but it got into the walls and up to an add-on on the third floor. Two treated for minor injuries. As many as six apartments are left heavily damaged.

Highway 400 Closed by Truck Fire

We thought the night was over. We had already done a fatal fire in the east end earlier last night. It was 6am and we were both almost at the end of shift. TV Tommy (@vaughanweather on Twitter) and I were chatting it up at Weston Rd and the 401 when this tractor trailer fire came across the airwaves. We arrived before O.P.P. and TFD and as you can see it was fully involved. The truck contained non-dairy creamer. The highway was closed for an hour or so and remained a big mess all morning long.

Air Ambulance Lands on QEW

A 39 year old man is dead this morning after he ran into the back of a stopped tanker truck on the QEW east bound just east of Winston Churchill. Both east and westbound lanes were closed so air ambulance could land on the highway. Sadly they left without the victim after he was pronounced dead on the scene.

The helicopter came into contact with wires on takeoff. I captured it on video but didn't notice it at the time. Bert from City-TV saw it clearly and said we almost became a Youtube video. It wasn't until later that I realized I had a brush with danger. They will inspect the helicopter later today.

The truck was stopped for emergency maintenance on the right shoulder. The car was destroyed. The east bound QEW remained closed for accident reconstruction. Traffic was diverted onto Hwy 403 up toward the 401 causing traffic nightmares for the morning commute into the city.

All of this after a very quiet Thursday night shift. So this added some overtime onto my shift. I'm home now enjoying my wife's company and the weekend.

Roll Roll Roll Your Truck Gently Down The Highway

Really busy night at work, including this truck roll over on the 409 West. I also shot a stabbing and a couple of other crashes. In another crash a TTC street car crashed into a TTC maintenance crew and sent three workers to hospital. I didn't shoot anything the last two days so we made up for it tonight. That's TV .... hurry up and wait.

Double Shooting in Peel Region

A Peel Police Officer gathers evidence and searches for shell casings. The scene was a parking lot beside 325 Webb Dr. just steps from Square One. Two people were shot and police are looking for two others seen leaving the area in a tow truck. A large parking lot was surrounded with crime scene tape after officers discovers shell casings lying nearby.

Fatal Crash on DVP

A City of Toronto garbage truck lost control on the ramp from the viaduct to the north bound DVP. This ramp comes down from near the Pizza Pizza at Broadview. It's very steep and right at the end it takes a very sharp right turn. I've squeeled my tires there myself when hitting that sharp turn at the bottom. One person was ejected and one was trapped for two hours then rushed to Sunnybrook. Sadly they past away. My condolences to family and city staff. Prior to this we had covered Metro's latest homicide at 4010 Lawrence East where a man was found in the hallway shot in the head. Very busy night.

Project Folkstone - That was fun wasn't it? What's next?

We have all been kept very busy on the night shift for the last two nights. As police put the finishing touches on Project Folkstone we've been there to gather video of all the suspects being brought in for booking and the ETF doing morning wake up calls. This morning they visited a few more homes and we were there as they confiscated a Porsche in Etobicoke. It will all be on the news tonight of course. Thanks to all those involved for making the streets a little safer, for not freaking out when the cameras showed up and for that nice little chunk of overtime that will be on my next cheque. Here is a link to the full media kit regarding this project. http://www.opp.ca/ecms/index.php?id=491

Multiple Warrants Executed.

Police executed several search warrants this morning around the GTA. They will hold a news conference tomorrow to announce details of the operation, described as an international gun and drug smuggling organized crime ring. Seems everyone played a part in this one including O.P.P., Toronto, York, Durham and Windsor Police. It also involved Border Services and the ATF. A show-n-tell is scheduled for Thursday morning at YRP 2 District. We shot several suspects arriving there this morning. We will be hearing more about this in the coming days.

Line of Duty Death

Peel Regional Police Constable Artem "James" Otchakovski died Tuesday after his cruiser collided with another vehicle


The officer died after a collision at Airport Rd and Steeles. His cruiser collided with another vehicle and then hit a pole. My condolences to his family and fellow officers. The other driver was treated for minor injuries. No word on cause or charges.
 
He died in the line of duty, while protecting residents and visitors in Peel Region. I personally appreciate the service and hard work by him and his fellow officers.

401 Closed After Truck Rollover

OPP had a mess to clean up on the 401 westbound at Yonge Street through the night. A truck carrying particle board rolled over, depositing its load and diesel fuel across all lanes. The heavy tows got to work and the highway was to remain closed through the morning rush hour.