British Columbia’s civilian police watchdog is investigating a police pursuit in Surrey that ended in a crash and arrest that left a man with serious injuries.
Part of the incident was captured on dash camera video, showing a suspect vehicle speeding the wrong way into oncoming traffic.
In a media release, Surrey RCMP said officers were called to a parking lot at the Green Timbers Urban Forest around 8 a.m. Sunday to reports of a suspicious vehicle and potential “indecent act.”
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) said there were two occupants in the vehicle, a man and a woman.
The vehicle fled on 100 Avenue when officers arrived, police said, and was subsequently involved in a multi-vehicle crash at the intersection of 100 Avenue and 140 Street.
“The male driver attempted to flee on foot but was taken into custody after officers deployed a conducted energy weapon. He was transported to hospital with serious injuries,” RCMP said in the release.
“Other people involved in the collision reported little to no injuries.”
Witness Winston Woo, who shot the dash camera video, told Global News he saw two police vehicles enter the Green Timbers parking lot and try and box the suspect vehicle in. He said the vehicle managed to get out and proceeded onto 100th Avenue where it jumped a curb into oncoming traffic and sped away.
“I saw that two RCMP officers were chasing that vehicle, and when I got to the intersection of 100th and 140th I saw there was an accident, and I saw one of the officers with his gun drawn and he was trying to look for the suspect,” Woo said.
The IIO said it is working to confirm the details of events leading up to the crash, how the crash happened and how the man was injured.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or has relevant information is asked to contact the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477.
The RCMP is conducting its own investigation into the initial report and the crash.