Richmond red light-runners were involved in police surveillance: Gang unit

B.C.’s integrated anti-gang task force is taking responsibility for a viral video that showed several cars blasting through a red light in Richmond.

The video showed multiple vehicles barreling through intersections in about a 10-minute span.

In the first clip, a car drove down the wrong side of the road and then through a red light.

Minutes later, at the intersection of Shell Road and Cambie Road, three cars through the intersection on an obvious red light.

The video was posted to YouTube by user am0s.x. Global News has reached out to the user for comment.

But on Thursday evening, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) issued a media release explaining that some of its officers were behind the wheel.

“The CFSEU-BC has reviewed the video and determined that the three vehicles are CFSEU-BC surveillance vehicles that were being driven by CFSEU-BC-assigned police officers who were on duty and actively engaged in surveillance on high-level targets involved in gang and organized crime related activity,” wrote Sgt. Brenda Winpenny.

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Winpenny said the CFSEU is now following up with the officers involved to ensure they were “acting within the scope of their duties, training, and the Motor Vehicle Act, which provides provisions and exemptions for police officers.”

She added that police can not comment on the nature of the surveillance that officers were involved in, but that they are committed to ensuring public safety.

Earlier on Thursday, a spokesperson for ICBC pointed to the video to highlight the danger of running red lights.

“Red light running is one of the more dangerous behaviours people engage in on the road,” said Mark Milner, Road Safety Program Manager at ICBC. “That’s why we have 140 red light cameras around B.C. Over 60 per cent of collisions happen at intersections around B.C. so it’s important that when the light is red, or even when it’s yellow, that you’re stopping for the light.”

The penalty for running a red light is $167 and two demerit points.

“The main thing is to always be aware of what’s going on around you,” said Milner. “You should be able to know that people are going to stop for red lights but it’s not necessarily a given.”

He said ICBC would not know whether the vehicles seen in the video could be undercover police officers.

“I don’t know that there was anything special about those vehicles other than the fact that they chose to deliberately run a red light.”

Watch the full video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz01LMPn300