Police in Brampton, Ont., are asking for the public’s help as they investigate the apparent kidnapping of a 23-year-old woman from a home early Sunday.
Peel Regional Police said they were called to the townhome around 3 a.m. after receiving reports that a man was screaming and banging on a door.
The Special Investigations Unit, the province’s police watchdog, has invoked its mandate to investigate.
The agency said officers showed up and heard a woman screaming inside.
The officers breached the door and followed the sounds of the screams to the garage, the SIU said.
There they found a man in the driver’s seat of a car and a woman in the back seat.
“There was an interaction, and two officers discharged their firearms in the direction of the vehicle,” the SIU said in a statement.
“While still in the vehicle, the man managed to flee from the garage with the woman still inside.”
It isn’t known if the man was hit by gunshots, the SIU said.
The agency said it invoked its mandate to investigate because officers fired their guns.
Peel Regional Police spokeswoman Const. Heather Cannon said the officers were not physically hurt.
“At this time we are not aware of any injuries to either the suspect or victim,” Cannon said.
She said Sunday morning they do not know the pair’s whereabouts.
“At this point, we believe she is in that vehicle unwillingly,” Cannon said. “We are concerned for her safety and wellbeing.”
Police say they are looking for the woman, Salina Ouk, who may be in a black Honda Civic with the 21-year-old suspect, who was described as armed and dangerous.
The police force says the province’s independent police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, is investigating the case.
