The man accused of crashing into an Uber in Brampton, Ont., and killing its passenger while drunk has been found guilty by a jury of all seven charges he was facing.
Akamjot Sandhu was accused of dangerous driving and impaired driving causing death, among other charges, in the death of Matthew Cruz almost three years ago.
On Sept. 11, 2021, just before 12:30 a.m., Cruz was in an Uber on his way home from work when it was involved in a collision. He was pronounced dead in hospital.
“The thing is, he normally gets a bus home but he took an Uber that night,” said Zak Cruz, Matthew’s older brother.
The jury heard that a black Volkswagen Jetta, which was allegedly being driven by Sandhu, was going northbound on Winston Churchill Boulevard when it struck the white Subaru that Matthew was in. The Subaru was travelling southbound, attempting to make a left turn on Burnhamthorpe Road.
The court had also heard Sandhu was travelling at speeds of more than 120 kilometres an hour at the time of the collision. The speed limit on Winston Churchill Boulevard is 60 kilometres an hour.
A videotaped police statement showed Sandhu telling police he had been drinking and smoking cannabis that night and claiming a man named “Jay” had been driving. Sandhu’s former girlfriend Jasnit Badwal also said that she told police the man Jay was driving.
She testified that two-and-a-half months later, she went to a police station and identified Sandhu as the driver and said she was the passenger. She said she decided to come forward to “clear her conscience.”
Sandhu pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On Thursday, after deliberating for less than six hours, the jury found him guilty on all charges, including impaired driving causing death.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October.