A Winnipeg man accused of blowing through a stop sign in a stolen car and crashing into a police cruiser has been found not responsible for injuring two police officers after it was revealed there was no stop sign at the intersection.
McKae Ledingham, 26, was initially charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm in connection to the June 7, 2023 crash, but at a sentencing hearing last month pleaded guilty to careless driving, an offence under the Highway Traffic Act
“A collision reconstruction report was conducted as it appeared on its face that Mr. Ledingham had gone through a stop sign and caused this collision,” Crown attorney Nick Reeves told provincial court Judge Michael Clark. “It turned out there wasn’t a stop sign.”
Ledingham was fined $1,000 for careless driving and sentenced to 23 months custody for several related and non-related offences, including two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, driving while prohibited, flight from police and breaching his bail conditions.
Ledingham was on bail at the time of his arrest and banned from being in the driver’s seat of a vehicle without the owner’s permission.
Court heard police spotted Ledingham behind the wheel of a stolen Lincoln Mark LT near Inkster Boulevard and St. Cross Street at about 4 a.m., June 7, 2023, and started following him from a distance.
Officers lost sight of Ledingham, but another police cruiser caught up to him in the area of Belmont Avenue and Main Street.
Reeves told court police were driving north on Main Street at Belmont Avenue, which had no stop sign or lights, when Ledingham drove through the intersection on Belmont, where there also was no stop sign, crashing into the cruiser, pushing it to the other side of the road.
Two officers in the cruiser were injured and unable to exit the vehicle. Ledingham was arrested by other officers arriving on scene.
“There should be a stop sign, but for whatever reason, Mr. Ledingham did not have a stop sign,” Reeves said. “It is sort of a blind corner. There are buildings on each side of the corner so neither saw each other, neither vehicle at that time was required to stop.”
Both injured officers were hospitalized and one did not return to work for six months.
Ledingham was injured during his arrest, triggering an investigation by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba.
The investigation unit’s final report, which was made public Monday, concluded “the officers’ use of force was reasonable in the circumstances.”
According to the report, Ledingham said he had no memory of being taken out of his vehicle and alleged police assaulted him in custody.
Witnesses told investigators they saw officers at the crash scene fighting and pulling a man from the Lincoln and shocking him with a Taser.
Officers at the scene told investigators Ledingham was ignoring their commands and resisting arrest when officers hit him in the jaw and leg before gaining control over him.
Officers said it was only after Ledingham was taken to the police station that his injuries were noticed and he was transported to hospital.
Police were “quite rough” with Ledingham, but he was abandoning any argument they had violated his Charter rights, his lawyer Caleigh Glawson told court last month.
A collision reconstructionist estimated Ledingham could have been driving as fast as 76 km/hr at the time of the collision, but a precise speed was impossible to determine, Reeves said.
“That being said, he was in a stolen vehicle, knew he wasn’t supposed to be driving and it was likely he was going over the speed limit,” Reeves said.
Ledingham was released on bail July 24, 2023, with a requirement he reside at the Behavioural Health Foundation, but left the following November after consuming drugs smuggled into the centre.
He was arrested the following February after a police chase in another stolen car in St. Boniface.
Ledingham, who identifies as Métis, has struggled with substance abuse, a problem that accelerated with the death of his brother, Glawson said.
“His involvement in methamphetamine has really led him down this path,” she said.
Ledingham apologized to the officers he injured and pledged to “take a better road” in the future.
“I’m not heartless, and I do understand I’ve done wrong,” he said. “I want to take responsibility for what I’ve done and do my time.”
Ledingham’s sentence includes a six-year driving prohibition.
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
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