A 16-year-old boy from Richmond Hill charged in connection with a Vaughan crash that left two young siblings dead is being released on $300,000 bail with strict conditions, despite the Crown arguing the teen should be detained.
The boy, who can only be identified by his initials C.Z. due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, cried periodically during the hour-long hearing Wednesday.
The teen is charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing death, one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, two counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
C.Z. had been in custody at the Roy McMurtry Youth Centre since his arrest on May 16. It is alleged the teen was driving a 2017 Black Mercedes sedan on Athabasca Drive in Vaughan just before noon when he lost control of the vehicle, mounted a curb and drove over a number of lawns.
In the process, he allegedly struck two young children who were playing on the driveway of their home. A neighbour who was helping the children fix a bike chain was also seriously injured. The children, a four-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister, died as a result of their injuries.
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The justice of the peace reviewed the positions of both the crown Sean Doyle and C.Z.’s lawyer Seth Weinstein before making his ruling.
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Doyle argued the teen should be detained while awaiting his trial but Weinstein argued the teen should be released albeit with strict conditions. The onus was on the Crown to convince his worship that C.Z. should be detained.
The boy’s parents, who are acting as sureties, will jointly contribute to the bail amount.
The terms are that the boy must reside with his sureties, must remain in the family’s Richmond Hill home except in the company of a surety or for medical emergencies, to be driven to in-school learning by a surety when virtual learning is no longer an option, to not operate a motor vehicle nor to be in possession of keys to a motor vehicle.
The teen must also surrender his Canadian and Russian passports to police within 24 hours, remain in the province of Ontario, and not be be on Athabasca Drive in the City of Vaughan, even in the company of a surety. When asked if he understood the conditions, the teen said he did.
Video obtained by Global News showed the Mercedes just before the collision, speeding along Athabasca Drive and appeared to be accelerating. The posted speed limit on the residential street is 40 kilometres per hour.
The next-door neighbours who witnessed the aftermath of the crash said the young driver, who was arrested on scene, told them his brakes weren’t working and that he was going to visit his girlfriend who lived on the street.
Details of evidence heard during the day-long bail hearing on Tuesday is covered under a publication ban.
C.Z. will return to court for a virtual hearing on June 17.
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