

Chris Fox, CP24.com





A suspect who allegedly opened fire on a police officer at a gas station in Richmond Hill on Friday morning has been charged with nearly a dozen offences, including attempted murder.

Anoshirvan Shirizadeh, 34, made a brief appearance in a Newmarket courtroom on Saturday, where he was remanded into custody until Jan. 2.

Shirizadeh has been charged with attempted murder, assault with intent to resist, dangerous driving and a slew of weapons-related charges.

The charges all relate to an incident that happened at a Petro Canada station near the southwest corner of Bayview Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive on Friday morning.

Police have said that an officer had conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area when its “driver pulled out a firearm and fired shots at the officer.” The officer then returned fire but the suspect was able to flee the scene in the vehicle, later barricading himself inside a residence on Elmwood Avenue.

He was arrested late Friday night after a nearly 12-hour standoff.

On Saturday, police remain at the house as they continue to do their investigation.

York Regional Police are conducting a parallel investigation to the Special Investigations Unit, Sgt. Andy Pattenden said.

Pattenden said the Emergency Response Unit was clearing the residence to ensure it is safe for investigators to do their work.

“Both our investigators and SIU investigators cannot proceed into the scene until it is determined to be safe,” he said.

The SIU said Friday that it was investigating the possibility that the suspect may have been struck by gunfire during the incident.

"We are in the process of assessing the incident to determine if it falls under the SIU's mandate," the agency told CP24 on Saturday.

No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting.