Bryant charged with criminal negligence after crash
Ontario's former attorney general has been charged with criminal negligence causing death after a fatal collision that occurred in the city's Yorkville district on Monday night.
Michael Bryant was held in custody overnight for questioning inside the Traffic Services unit on Hanna Avenue since late last night.
He left Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by his lawyer and made a brief, emotional statement to the media.
"I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family of (the deceased cyclist) Mr. (Darcy Allen) Sheppard," he said, choking back tears. "To all those who offered support to my family in the last 12 hours, thank you."
He asked the media to respect his family's need for distance and privacy for the next few days and asked for understanding for not making further comments on the incident.
Bryant, 43, has also been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.
The fatal crash is the result of an apparent altercation that took place between a motorist and a cyclist over several blocks on Bloor Street, from Church Street to Avenue Road, just before 10 p.m.
The 33-year-old cyclist later died.
News cameras at the scene of the accident captured the former politician in the back seat of a cruiser. A car registered to a Michael Bryant was also seen at the scene of the crash.
Not a hit-and-run
Witnesses told police that at one point the cyclist hung onto the driver's side of the car, but eventually fell off near Avenue Road and suffered severe head injuries. The driver of the car continued on but stopped a short distance away at the Park Hyatt hotel, located at the northwest corner of Bloor and Avenue.
Burrows said Bryant was one of several people who called 911 to report the incident.
"(He) was not in any way trying to evade or elude our investigation," he said.
Burrows said there are three parts of the incident that police are investigating. The first part is the report of an altercation between the victim and the driver. Burrows said that shortly after there was a minor collision between the cyclist and the vehicle.
After that, tensions escalated between the two and ended when the cyclist grabbed on to the car and held on, even as the car mounted the curb, hitting several objects in its path.
The cyclist eventually fell off and suffered severe head injuries.
The cyclist was rushed to hospital but he was pronounced dead at a local trauma centre shortly after 11 p.m.
Burrows said that a friend of the victim has been notified by police but authorities are still trying to contact the man's next of kin.
Police have not identified the victim but friends identified him as Darcy Allan Sheppard.
Sheppard was reportedly a bicycle courier and a father of at least one child. A friend of his told CTV Toronto that the victim was a "good-natured, caring, fun-loving guy."
The incident remains under investigation by members of Traffic Services.
Witnesses sought
Burrows said they have received a number of reports from witnesses who were in the area and that they have answered many questions that investigators had about the crash.
However, police are still looking to speak with anyone who was in the area -- along Bloor Street, from Church Street all the way to Avenue Road -- between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday.
They are asked to call Traffic Services investigators at 416-808-1900.
The B.C.-born Bryant first won a seat in Queen's Park in June 1999 and was long considered to be a rising star. He was appointed to be attorney general -- the youngest person ever to hold the title.
During his time at Queen's Park, Bryant also served as aboriginal affairs minister and minister of economic development. He was the
Ten years later, he resigned from politics to pursue a new opportunity with Invest Toronto.
Toronto Mayor David Miller, who is also chair of Invest Toronto, released a statement Tuesday morning expressing his condolences to the family and friends of the dead cyclist. However, he did not comment on Bryant.
"As this is an active police investigation, I will not be making any further comment on this tragedy today," says the statement.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty also briefly touched on the incident during a morning news conference on a different matter at Queen's Park Tuesday morning.
He said the incident is "very sad, very tragic," and added that he will wait for the investigation to unfold.
"It's very tragic how events that unfold in a minute can have such a profound impact on people's lives," he said. "A negative impact."
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Michael Bryant was held in custody overnight for questioning inside the Traffic Services unit on Hanna Avenue since late last night.
He left Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by his lawyer and made a brief, emotional statement to the media.
"I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family of (the deceased cyclist) Mr. (Darcy Allen) Sheppard," he said, choking back tears. "To all those who offered support to my family in the last 12 hours, thank you."
He asked the media to respect his family's need for distance and privacy for the next few days and asked for understanding for not making further comments on the incident.
Bryant, 43, has also been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.
The fatal crash is the result of an apparent altercation that took place between a motorist and a cyclist over several blocks on Bloor Street, from Church Street to Avenue Road, just before 10 p.m.
The 33-year-old cyclist later died.
News cameras at the scene of the accident captured the former politician in the back seat of a cruiser. A car registered to a Michael Bryant was also seen at the scene of the crash.
Not a hit-and-run
Witnesses told police that at one point the cyclist hung onto the driver's side of the car, but eventually fell off near Avenue Road and suffered severe head injuries. The driver of the car continued on but stopped a short distance away at the Park Hyatt hotel, located at the northwest corner of Bloor and Avenue.
Burrows said Bryant was one of several people who called 911 to report the incident.
"(He) was not in any way trying to evade or elude our investigation," he said.
Burrows said there are three parts of the incident that police are investigating. The first part is the report of an altercation between the victim and the driver. Burrows said that shortly after there was a minor collision between the cyclist and the vehicle.
After that, tensions escalated between the two and ended when the cyclist grabbed on to the car and held on, even as the car mounted the curb, hitting several objects in its path.
The cyclist eventually fell off and suffered severe head injuries.
The cyclist was rushed to hospital but he was pronounced dead at a local trauma centre shortly after 11 p.m.
Burrows said that a friend of the victim has been notified by police but authorities are still trying to contact the man's next of kin.
Police have not identified the victim but friends identified him as Darcy Allan Sheppard.
Sheppard was reportedly a bicycle courier and a father of at least one child. A friend of his told CTV Toronto that the victim was a "good-natured, caring, fun-loving guy."
The incident remains under investigation by members of Traffic Services.
Witnesses sought
Burrows said they have received a number of reports from witnesses who were in the area and that they have answered many questions that investigators had about the crash.
However, police are still looking to speak with anyone who was in the area -- along Bloor Street, from Church Street all the way to Avenue Road -- between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday.
They are asked to call Traffic Services investigators at 416-808-1900.
The B.C.-born Bryant first won a seat in Queen's Park in June 1999 and was long considered to be a rising star. He was appointed to be attorney general -- the youngest person ever to hold the title.
During his time at Queen's Park, Bryant also served as aboriginal affairs minister and minister of economic development. He was the
Ten years later, he resigned from politics to pursue a new opportunity with Invest Toronto.
Toronto Mayor David Miller, who is also chair of Invest Toronto, released a statement Tuesday morning expressing his condolences to the family and friends of the dead cyclist. However, he did not comment on Bryant.
"As this is an active police investigation, I will not be making any further comment on this tragedy today," says the statement.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty also briefly touched on the incident during a morning news conference on a different matter at Queen's Park Tuesday morning.
He said the incident is "very sad, very tragic," and added that he will wait for the investigation to unfold.
"It's very tragic how events that unfold in a minute can have such a profound impact on people's lives," he said. "A negative impact."
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