A sergeant with the Toronto Police Service faces criminal charges after a 27-year-old woman said she was sexually assaulted inside a police cruiser last fall.

The alleged incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2015 when a man picked up the woman near Wellington Street West and Blue Jays Way to drive her home.

According to a statement released by Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the woman was assaulted during the ride.

Sgt. Christopher Heard faces one count of sexual assault.

He is scheduled to appear in court on April 14.

The SIU is an arm's-length agency that investigates incidents involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.