Two Toronto Police officers have been suspended after allegedly getting high while on duty after consuming marijuana edibles stolen during a dispensary raid.
Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash would not comment on the case except to say two officers from the city's midtown 13 Division are under investigation by the service's Professional Standards unit.
Mike McCormack, President of the Toronto Police Association acknowledged the allegations are drug-related. "It's only speculation at this time and I'm not going to speculate on an ongoing investigation," McCormack told NEWSTALK 1010 Monday.
A police source tells NEWSTALK 1010 that after carrying out a warrant at a local dispensary Saturday night, two officers, still on the clock ingested marijuana-infused goodies meant to be taken from the scene as evidence. When they didn't feel the effects of the drugs right away, the pair ate more. Then more.
And then the drugs kicked in.
The pair, still on duty, appeared to panic and called an ambulance and their fellow officers for help.
NEWSTALK 1010 has learned that when backup arrived, one of the impaired officers took off running. At least some of the backup officers followed, with one slipping in the process and suffering an injury.
Toronto Paramedics say they received a call for someone needing help with a medical condition near Oakwood Ave and Vaughan Rd at about 1 a.m. Sunday.
Spokesperson Kim McKinnon tells NEWSTALK 1010 a man was taken to hospital with some sort of medical condition. A second person was also taken to hospital with what McKinnon described as some sort of "minor trauma" though she could say not say what caused the injury.
"On the face of what you're saying, of course it's shocking, but I'll wait to hear what the investigation is into and comment on the facts around it," McCormack said.
McCormack would not name the officers or detail their years of service.
It is not clear if the officers might face a criminal probe.