Two grandparents killed alongside a three-month-old boy in a wrong-way police chase and collision on Highway 401 in Whitby, Ont., this week have been named by the Indian consulate.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto shared the names of the two grandparents, who were visiting Canada when the crash happened, in a post on social media.
“Heartfelt condolences on tragic loss of Indian nationals Mr. Manivannan, Mrs. Mahalakshmi & their grandchild in the Highway 401 collision,” the post read. “CG met the bereaved family at the hospital & assured all possible assistance. We are in touch with Canadian authorities.”
The crash, which took place Monday evening, stemmed from an LCBO robbery in Clarington, Ont., that saw Durham Regional Police officers chasing the suspect on the wrong side of the highway.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which investigates the conduct of officers in serious incidents, including those that have resulted in death, is now probing the incident.
The SIU said the parents of the infant — a 33-year-old father and 27-year-old mother, who live in Ajax – were taken to hospital after the crash. The two grandparents, aged 60 and 55, died along with the baby boy.
On Sunday, the SIU released a statement to Global News on behalf of the parents that read “our family is reeling from a devastating tragedy.”
“We are at a complete loss of words to describe the agony and vacuum in our hearts knowing we can never hold our child Aditya Vivaan, who gave us so many precious memories in such a short time, in our hands again,” the statement from the parents read.
The statement said the grandparents had arrived in Canada just two days before the deadly wrong-way crash. The grandfather had just retired at 60 years old and was “overjoyed” to spend time with his grandson.
“He affectionately referred to this time as the ‘year of grandparents fun,’” the parents wrote in the statement.
“The aftermath has left an indelible mark on our lives, with profound grief.”
The incident began at around 7:50 p.m. Monday when Durham police officers were notified by an off-duty officer of a robbery at the LCBO.
Officers found a vehicle of interest — a U-Haul cargo van — and followed the van through numerous streets in Durham “as the vehicle drove erratically,” SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon said Tuesday.
She said the vehicle got on Highway 401 at Stevenson Road in Oshawa in the wrong direction and was travelling westbound in the eastbound lanes.
— with files from Global News Aaron D’Andrea & Gabby Rodrigues