Members of the Strathcona County RCMP detachment “did not contribute to a fatal rollover” at a Sherwood Park Freeway offramp that left a teen dead in August 2018, according to the province’s police watchdog.
On Monday, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team issued a news release about the findings of its investigation into the incident, which involved a stolen GMC Yukon.
“Police officers are lawfully entitled to pursue fleeing suspects. That said, criminal flight from police creates an inherently dangerous situation for police, the occupants of the fleeing vehicle, and the general public,” ASIRT said. “The decision to pursue a feeing vehicle must be made carefully, and with constant assessment and reassessment of the danger involved. Such considerations were taken into account in this case.
“Additionally, it is beyond dispute that RCMP members had terminated any attempt to pursue or follow the stolen Yukon well in advance of the single-vehicle rollover that ultimately occurred.”
READ MORE: Teen killed in Sherwood Park SUV rollover that’s under investigation by ASIRT
According to ASIRT, Mounties were conducting surveillance from unmarked vehicles as part of an investigation on Aug. 14, 2018.
“At approximately 2:55 p.m., they saw a GMC Yukon leaving an address associated with stolen vehicle activity, travelling westbound on Highway 16,” the police watchdog said. “Computer checks confirmed the Yukon had been reported stolen. The Yukon turned onto Broadmoor Boulevard in Sherwood Park, entered the Costco parking lot near the gas bar, and stopped.
“At approximately 3:08 p.m., two unmarked police vehicles activated their lights and siren. In response, the driver of the Yukon placed the vehicle into reverse and quickly accelerated over a grass boulevard and through some trees, before heading northbound onto Broadmoor Boulevard.”
A minute later, Mounties told an RCMP dispatcher that the SUV had tried to evade them and at 3:10 p.m., they said they lost visual contact with the SUV, ASIRT said.
“At 3:11 p.m., the RCMP officers received direction over the radio to terminate the pursuit, pull over and turn off their emergency equipment, which the evidence establishes they followed,” the oversight agency said.
“At 3:18 p.m., RCMP received a 911 call reporting a single-vehicle rollover at the off-ramp of the Sherwood Park Freeway and 17 Street N.W. The vehicle in question was the stolen GMC Yukon. Two males exited the rolled vehicle and fled on foot, abandoning a 16-year-old passenger who had been killed in the rollover.”
ASIRT said its investigation into what happened took into account interviews with both civilian witnesses and police officers. The watchdog also obtained extensive GPS data from police vehicles and the complete communications recordings from the incident. Video evidence was also analyzed.
“While the death of the young passenger was both tragic and criminal, both the moral and legal responsibility for his death rests with driver of the stolen vehicle,” ASIRT said.