Vancouver police officer ‘played no role’ in civilian’s death in vehicle crash

A Vancouver police officer “played no role” in a civilian’s death from a vehicle crash in Burnaby last month, the province’s police watchdog has found.

According to the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO), the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado ran a red light at Clark Drive and East Hastings Street around 5 a.m. on July 19.

That’s when a police officer made a U-turn to follow the truck.

The officer did not attempt to stop it, however; it followed the Silverado slowly at a distance, without its lights on, and alerted other officers to its location, the IIO said in a Tuesday news release.

2:47 Criminal investigation launched into Burnaby crash involving Vancouver police officers

The driver sped toward Burnaby, reaching Willingdon Avenue and East Hastings Street, where it was involved in a collision with a Toyota Supra whose passenger was killed.

The drivers of both vehicles were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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After reviewing the footage, photos and police records, the IIO determined that the officer’s actions did not influence the driver’s behaviour, and therefore “did not play a role in the subsequent collision, nor the tragic death and injuries that followed.”

“Given the recklessness exhibited by the driver of the Silverado, the officer appropriately determined that a pursuit could be unsafe and did not attempt it,” the IIO wrote.

In the immediate aftermath of the fatal crash, the IIO had also said the Silverado was involved in a previous collision that night at West Hastings and Abbott Streets in Vancouver.

— With files from Simon Little