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3 dead in crash on Highway 1 in Chilliwack, B.C.’s police watchdog investigating

Click to play video: 'Third person dies after Highway 1 crash in Chilliwack'
Third person dies after Highway 1 crash in Chilliwack
A third person has died after a crash in Chilliwack involving a driver going the wrong way on Highway 1. – Dec 30, 2020

B.C.’s police watchdog is investigating after three people died in a crash in Chilliwack early Tuesday.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said RCMP received a report around 4 a.m. of a vehicle travelling in the wrong direction on Highway 1 near Laidlaw.

Click to play video: 'B.C.’s police watchdog agency investigating devastating holiday crash on New Westminster-Coquitlam border'
B.C.’s police watchdog agency investigating devastating holiday crash on New Westminster-Coquitlam border

An RCMP officer then spotted a vehicle heading westbound in the eastbound lanes near Annis Road.

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Police attempted to use a spike belt but the driver avoided it.

A short time later the vehicle collided head-on with a vehicle travelling eastbound and caught fire. Officers tried to extinguish the blaze but were unsuccessful.

Two people in the suspect vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene. A person in the eastbound vehicle died in hospital.

The IIO, which investigates police-related incidents involving death or serious harm, is working to determine whether police actions are linked to the deaths.

Earlier this week, the IIO said it was probing a high-speed crash on Highway 1 that sent multiple people to hospital on Sunday morning.

— With files from The Canadian Press

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