IIO says officer may have committed offence in fatal Salmon Arm crash

This province’s police watchdog says the Crown should take a closer look at a fatal Salmon Arm crash involving the RCMP.

Twenty-one-year-old Courtenay Brianne Eggen of Cherryville died in June after being chased by police for running a stop sign.

The Independent Investigations Office says Eggen lost control of her vehicle and slid sideways into a dump truck.

She died shortly after.

The officer involved had been told to call off the chase, but refused. He was not hurt, despite losing control of his police cruiser.

Richard Rosenthal of the IIO says he reviewed the file and forwarded a report to the Crown because the officer may have committed an offence.
In approving charges, the Criminal Justice Branch must be satisfied that an offence was committed and that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction.

With files from the Canadian Press