A Surrey officer faces no criminal charges after a fatal crash while responding to a high-priority call, according to B.C.’s police watchdog.
Surrey Officer Cleared After Fatal Crash During Emergency Call
A Surrey police officer will not face criminal charges after a deadly crash that happened while the officer was responding to an emergency call last year.
The decision came from British Columbia’s Independent Investigations Office (IIO), which reviewed the incident and found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Officer Was Responding to High-Priority Domestic Violence Call
The crash happened on Dec. 14 during the early evening as the officer travelled to a reported domestic violence incident.
At the time, the officer was driving an unmarked police vehicle with emergency lights and a siren activated. However, vehicle data showed the car reached speeds of up to 121 km/h.
According to the IIO report, the police vehicle struck a woman who entered the roadway while jogging. Furthermore, one witness told investigators that the officer likely had less than a second to react.
Investigators Considered Road Conditions and Emergency Risks
The investigation also examined the conditions surrounding the crash. The woman was wearing dark clothing, and the road was dark and wet at the time of the collision.
In addition, family members told investigators that the woman had significant hearing loss, including deafness in her left ear and partial hearing loss in her right ear.
Jessica Berglund, the IIO’s Chief Civilian Director, said the officer had to make a difficult decision between responding quickly to a possible threat and reducing risks on the road.
Moreover, police were still unsure whether other people could be in danger, even after receiving updated information that the reported domestic violence victim may have left the location safely.
Witnesses Describe the Moments Before the Collision
The report included accounts from drivers who were nearby when the crash occurred.
One civilian driver said the pedestrian appeared to move quickly onto the road. Meanwhile, a passenger in another vehicle said they may have hit the woman if they had not slowed down when they noticed the police vehicle.
Therefore, investigators considered whether the crash could have happened even if the officer had been travelling within the speed limit.
Watchdog Finds No Criminal Conduct by Officer
Berglund concluded that the evidence did not support criminal charges against the officer.
She noted that reducing speed may have been a safer choice after police learned more about the original call. However, she said the officer’s decision, based on the information available at the time, was not unreasonable enough to be considered criminal.
As a result, the IIO will not send the case to provincial prosecutors for possible charges.
The investigation now concludes with the officer cleared of criminal wrongdoing, while the victim’s family continues to deal with the loss caused by the tragic collision.
