A Sicamous, B.C., police chase that ended in a fatal crash is not the fault of the RCMP, the Independent Investigations Office has concluded.
The incident occurred May 20, at approximately 4 p.m., when officers unsuccessfully attempted to conduct a traffic stop for a light grey Honda Civic in Canoe, which is near Salmon Arm.
“Police (officers) in Sicamous were made aware that the Honda was heading towards their jurisdiction and attempted another traffic stop using a spike belt on Highway 1 near the Bruhn Bridge in Sicamous,” the IIO said.
“During the attempted stop, the Honda went off the road before coming to rest nearby.”
Medical assistance was provided, but a woman in the passenger seat died at the scene while the man who was driving was taken to the hospital by Emergency Health Services for treatment of serious injuries.
“The CCD has reviewed the available evidence and determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer has committed an offence,” the IIO said.
“Accordingly, the matter will not be referred to Crown Counsel for consideration of charges.”
There are concurrent court proceedings related to the incident and as such the IIO’s public report will not be released on the IIO website until that process has concluded.