TWO ARRESTED AFTER TORONTO OFFICER KILLED
Const. Robert Plunkett of the York Regional Police force was killed in Markham, Ont., early Thursday morning after a car, apparently driven by a suspect in a theft investigation, struck him on a quiet neighbourhood street.
Plunkett, 43, was watching a residential area in plain clothes with one or two other officers between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Thursday morning as part of an investigation of air bag thieves when he was killed.
The suspects were caught in the act of stealing a car when the officers went to make an arrest. At that point Plunkett -- a 22-year veteran of the force and member of the special services unit - was either struck or dragged by the car. Based on the position of police pylons, it appears the car ran up off the road and onto the front lawn of a home.
Two suspects have been arrested and police are searching for a third. Insp. Gary Miner said 30 to 40 officers are on the scene. "We've got the accident scene investigation unit; the forensics unit; officers canvassing the neighbourhood ... (and) we've got a helicopter doing aerial shots," he said.
Several eye witnesses, including police officers and residents, are helping piece together what happened, said Miner.
Though the car that hit Plunkett, which a neighbour described as gold in colour, has been removed from the scene, police are looking at three other vehicles as part of their investigation. Kepha Nadarajah, who lives in the house next door to where the officer was killed, said he was awoken at 9 a.m. to see his house surrounded by squad cars.
"It's terrible -- a very sad thing to happen on my street," he said. "I didn't know anything had happened, I just woke up and there were police everywhere."
Jaguars, BMWs and minivans filled driveways beside well-manicured lawns and lush flower gardens of the affluent area. Two or three schools are located just a few blocks from the crime scene. Neatly organized recycling bins sat on the curb this morning, as though it were just a regular morning in the neighbourhood.
Miner said the death of an officer always affects members of the force.
"It's a very solemn mood here, very tragic. Our hearts go out to his family ... it's a real loss to the force."
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