Toronto Officer Injured After Being Pinned by Stolen Driven by 12-Year-Old
Const. Arlind Cakiqi had the worst shift of his career early Monday morning. Around 1 a.m. on June 15, 2026, the two-year Toronto Police Service veteran responded to a vehicle theft call near Millwood Rd. and Donlands Ave. in the 55th Division. What followed left him hospitalized and deeply shaken after he was forced to use his firearm against a suspect who turned out to be just 12 years old.
A Routine Call Turns Deadly
Officers attempted to stop a stolen vehicle. According to the official police account posted to social media, the vehicle struck an officer and then fled the scene. The officer fired his weapon at the vehicle during the encounter. Const. Cakiqi was pinned against a concrete barrier by the stolen car, suffering an arm and back injury along with cuts and bruises. He was rushed to the hospital and released Tuesday with a recommendation to seek further evaluation. A police source indicated he also had an injured toe and may have been run over by a tire, suggesting he may need to return to the hospital.
Both the child and the officer survived what could have easily been a fatal encounter. Toronto Police Association president Clayton Campbell described the situation bluntly: “The officer is very fortunate to have minor injuries.” Police sources confirmed that Cakiqi, despite being in excruciating pain from the collision, was consumed with worry about the young driver.
“He Was Shocked When He Heard the Child’s Age”
“He already asked how the driver was doing. But when he heard it was a 12-year-old boy, all he could think about was how was the boy?” said a Toronto police source. The officer, the source added, was “very upset” and “shocked when he heard the child’s age.” The boy was also hospitalized with a facial injury. It remained unclear late Monday evening whether the injury was caused by a bullet fragment or by shattered glass from the windshield. The child faces a charge of attempted murder.
The close call was not lost on the policing community. Campbell noted that “another centimeter and both of them could have died,” adding, “It wasn’t lost on any police officer, there was almost a need for a third police funeral.”
A Week of Tragedy for Ontario Policing
The incident came during an especially devastating stretch for law enforcement across the province. Just days earlier, OPP Const. Tarun Bali was killed in the line of duty and was scheduled to be honored at a memorial in Mississauga. Const. Marc Pinizzotto, also killed last week, was set to be remembered at a funeral at the Congress Centre in Etobicoke on June 24, 2026. Campbell pointed out that Cakiqi could have easily joined them.
“The fact that we could have lost another member because of the actions of a 12-year-old is beyond frustrating,” Campbell said. “While most people were sleeping, another police officer was injured while protecting this city. Luckily, this time the officer was able to go home.”
SIU Investigation Underway
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has taken over the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the officer’s use of force. The civilian watchdog agency investigates all incidents involving police that result in death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault. Campbell acknowledged the SIU’s role but called attention to what he described as a growing pattern of danger facing officers.
“We recognize that the SIU has a job to do and we will support our members throughout this process. However, it is also time to focus on the actions of those who place our members in positions where they feel that the use of force is their only option,” Campbell said. “These incidents should concern everyone. The blatant disregard for our members, which has resulted in injuries and even death, must end.”
A Broader Crisis
The presence of a 12-year-old behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle — reportedly taken from a ride-sharing company — with passengers around his age has raised broader concerns about youth crime in Toronto. Campbell noted that many of today’s violent crimes are being committed by individuals barely 18 or younger, and that the leniency built into the Juvenile Justice Act offers little deterrent.
“A 12-year-old with a gun can kill a person just as much as someone who does not fall under the leniency of the Juvenile Justice Act, as is the case with many of these offenders,” Campbell said. “But here’s a question many are asking and others are asking: How many police burials can a community withstand? Because if we’re honest, we almost ended up with three. Two are bad enough.”
As Const. Cakiqi recovers from his injuries, the Toronto Police Association and the broader community are left grappling with a week that came agonizingly close to claiming three officers’ lives — and the disturbing reality that the youngest suspect involved is not yet a teenager.
