Police watchdog recommends charges against Winnipeg officer involved in October crash

A Winnipeg police officer will appear in court this spring after the unmarked police vehicle he was driving was involved in a crash that sent three people to hospital.

On Oct. 28, 2021, theunmarked cruiserwas heading southon Main Street near College Avenue when it collided with a woman's car around 7 p.m., Winnipeg police said in a news release at the time.

The woman, in her 20s, suffered a fractured vertebrae and was taken tohospital in stable condition.

Twoofficers from the cruiser were also sent to hospital, with one suspected to have a broken arm. They weretreated and released.

The civilian director of the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba said there are reasonable grounds to believe the officer driving committed an offence, the IIU said in a news release on Wednesday.

The driver, Const. Bradley Louden, was summoned to appear in Winnipeg Provincial Court on May 16 for dangerous driving and misuse of emergency vehicle equipment.

The IIU will not comment further while the case is before the courts.

CBC News has also asked the Winnipeg Police Service for comment, but didn't immediately receive a response.