Attempted traffic stop preceded deadly 6-vehicle crash in Scarborough: SIU

Deadly 6-car pileup involved stolen Mercedes Witnesses alleged a stolen Mercedes SUV ran a red light, leading to a fiery six-car pileup in Scarborough that killed one person.

Toronto police officers attempted to stop the driver of a speeding vehicle before he flipped his car in a deadly six-vehicle crash in Scarborough Wednesday morning, the province's police watchdog says.

A spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said the driver of a Mercedes-Benz SUV, which police have determined was stolen from Peel Region, fled police at a high rate of speed following the attempted traffic stop near Markham Road and Milner Avenue at around 6:30 a.m.

That’s where the suspect vehicle and five others collided, causing the SUV to flip onto its roof and burst into flames. At least three people needed to be extricated from their vehicles, Toronto Fire told CP24 after the collision.

The driver of the SUV and the driver of another vehicle involved were transported to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the suspect vehicle was pronounced dead earlier today. The other driver remains in hospital in critical condition.

Police have not identified the deceased driver of the suspected stolen vehicle.

“We have a collision reconstructionist on the scene and he's trying to paint a better picture of what happened here,” Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for SIU, told reporters at the scene.

Denette confirmed the officers did not pursue the driver of the suspected stolen vehicle prior to the pileup, but said he “took off” after the attempted traffic stop.

Justin Wylie says he was involved in the crash and believes the driver of the suspected stolen vehicle ran a red light before the collision.

“The guy that flipped over ran a red [light] coming south and the guy just trying to make a left-hand turn…went flying,” he told CTV News Toronto in an interview.

Peel police tell CTV News Toronto that the stolen vehicle is "related" to a home invasion in Brampton, the date of which was not disclosed.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing and road closures remain in effect in the area.

The SIU is an arm's-length agency that is called in to investigate any interaction between civilians and police that results in death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault.