The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) says an investigation of a Calgary police officer’s conduct has concluded the officer didn’t do anything wrong in connection with a serious crash in December 2014 that left four people hurt, two with serious injuries.
According to ASIRT, at about 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 11, 2014, a stolen pickup truck with a male and female in it ran a red light at 46 Street and 130 Avenue before colliding with a small car with two men inside. The impact was so powerful, the car then collided a with a third vehicle with two women in it.
The two men in the car suffered serious injuries while the two women in the other vehicle sustained less serious injuries.
The stolen pickup truck was not driveable following the crash and the two people inside fled the scene on foot before the driver was arrested a short time later.
Just moments before the initial crash, police received a call about a potentially impaired driver asleep behind the wheel of the stolen truck which was parked in front of a Douglasdale convenience store. When the truck pulled out, it was reportedly weaving in the lane.
READ MORE: ASIRT investigates southeast crash
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ASIRT concluded a police officer in a marked cruiser spotted the truck in the curb lane of the Deerfoot Trail overpass and that when the light changed, the officer began to follow the truck and tried to pull it over using his emergency lights. The truck didn’t stop and continued on 130 Avenue, weaving in and out of its lane going 40-50 km/h before suddenly accelerating a few seconds later and going through a red light at 46 Street at an estimated speed of over 100 km/h.
ASIRT said Wednesday it concluded the officer was found to have the authority and grounds to try and pull the truck over based on the information they were given. The investigation also concluded the officer was driving at responsible speeds and that the crash was solely the fault of the driver of the stolen truck.
ASIRT’s executive director also said the investigation showed there was “nothing the officer could have or should have done differently that might have prevented this terrible event.”
ASIRT is called in to investigate any incidents involving Alberta law enforcement agencies that result in serious injury or death, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.
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