Charges considered in cyclist death probe reportedly involving former Ontario AG
1 hour, 13 minutes ago
By The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Toronto police said Tuesday that a "magnitude" of charges were being considered following an apparent altercation that left a cyclist dead and a former high-profile Ontario cabinet minister reportedly in custody.
Reports say former attorney general Michael Bryant is being questioned following the Monday night incident in downtown Toronto in which police say a 33-year-old cyclist was dragged by a car.
Charges are pending, but the identity of the person in custody will not be released until charges are laid, said Sgt. Tim Burrows.
"In this situation there is a magnitude of charges that could be considered, that have to be considered for the integrity of this investigation," said Burrows, who added the flood of witnesses coming forward has delayed the investigation.
"Several charges have been discussed and several directions of the investigation have been considered, but nothing definitive has been done."
Surveillance video puts the suspect driver together with the cyclist in two separate incidents but the video doesn't tell the full story of what happened, Burrows said.
"One of the many calls we received from 911 was from the suspect we have in custody," he said. "The person was not in any way trying to evade or elude our investigation."
Witness reports indicate the cyclist died after hanging onto a car following an altercation with a driver in the city's Yorkville district just before 10 p.m. The cyclist eventually fell off and suffered severe head injuries.
Burrows said the suspect could be released from custody Tuesday, "without charges being laid against him, but at the same time it doesn't mean charges won't be laid at a further time down the road."
Bryant, a colourful and outspoken public figure, was attorney general, aboriginal affairs minister and minister of economic development. He left provincial politics earlier this year to accept a position with Invest Toronto, a new corporation to attract investment to the city.
Premier Dalton McGuinty called the incident tragic but added the "best thing to do in the circumstance is to allow the investigation unfold."
When asked how he felt given his personal relationship with Bryant, McGuinty said: "It's just very sad."
"It is very tragic how events that unfold inside a minute can have such a profound impact on people's lives, negative impact."
In a statement, Toronto Mayor David Miller, who is also chair of Invest Toronto, expressed his "sincere condolences to the family and friends of the cyclist who died last night following an incident in the Yorkville area."
"As this is an active police investigation, I will not be making any further comment on this tragedy today," Miller said.
Burrows confirmed that some witnesses also said the driver appeared to try to remove the cyclist by brushing up against trees and poles.
"There's very limited evidence that he was trying to brush him off against objects. But I'm sure to the lay person that was watching, it may have certainly appeared that way - but we're not committing to that at this time," he said.
The accident occurred on busy Bloor St. between Bay St. and Avenue Rd.
Burrows said the driver was co-operating with police and had asked to speak to legal counsel.
