A 27-year-old woman and her nine-year-old daughter are in hospital after the taxi they were in was struck by an OPP cruiser during a pursuit on Sunday evening.

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating what happened after the woman and girl both sustained serious injuries in the crash.

Police had been pursuing two suspects in connection with an armed bank robbery in Sarnia, Ont. earlier Sunday afternoon.

The SIU says a preliminary investigation shows the OPP became involved when the fleeing suspects got onto Highway 402 and continued to follow the vehicle into the City of London.

The collision involving the cruiser and taxi happened around 5 p.m. at Southdale Road East and Verulam Street.

The two injured were passengers in the taxi. The driver was also taken to hospital but there is no word on any injuries.

Speaking to CTV News on Monday morning, the father of the injured girl says neither she, nor her mother has yet woken up.

He says they were travelling just two blocks in the cab to pick up groceries.

The SIU says that at this time one subject officer and one witness officer from Middlsex County OPP have been deisgnated in the incident.

Southdale was closed for the investigation, but reopened to traffic shortly before noon on Monday.

Suspects arrested and charged

London police say the suspect vehicle was eventually ditched on Exeter Road and the suspects fled on foot, but they were later arrested near a parking lot in the area of Jalna Boulevard and Chalkstone Drive, thanks to calls from witnesses.

Santiago Rodriguez watched as police found a bag of clothes in an area backyard.

"So the dog was sniffing around and it turned out to, they started sniffing around the backyard in our neighbourhood so they had to break down the fence and that's where they found the bag of clothes, that's where the dog was sniffing."

Mushin Abdirazak Aden, 23, and 21-year-old Hassen Ali, both from the Mississauga area, are facing charges including;

  • robbery using a firearm
  • disguise with intent
  • dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
  • flight from peace officer
  • possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000

They are accused in the robbery of a TD Bank at 1210 London Road in Sarnia, Ont. that happened shortly before 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Sarnia police say two suspects wearing hoods and black masks, both carrying what appeared to be handguns, entered the bank just before it was scheduled to close.

Const. Giovanni Sottosanti says, "One of the suspects was yelling to everybody to 'Get down, this is a robbery!' While the second suspect hopped over the counter and proceeded to take the money from behind the counter."

No one was injured in the robbery.

A Sarnia police officer located the fleeing vehicle heading southbound on Modeland Road but was unable to to stop it before it took off again.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Sarnia police say they were informed the suspects had been arrested in London, and that the money and replice firearms were recovered.

Both suspects were being held in custody and appeared in a Sarnia court on Monday for a bail hearing.