Surrey/Abbotsford – The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC has filed a report with the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges regarding IIO file 2022-214.
Shortly after 3 p.m. on the afternoon of August 7, 2022, officers with the Abbotsford Police Department located a stolen white Acura Integra around Livingstone Avenue and Maclure Road. They lost site of the car a short time later and did not attempt to stop it.
At about 4:10 p.m., officers located a stolen white Acura Integra in the parking lot of a strip mall near the intersection of Hillcrest Avenue and Commercial Street. When police attempted to stop the Acura, it fled and was pursued by officers.
The Acura subsequently went off the road on Maclure Road near Clearbrook Road and collided with a tree. The male driver was transported to a local hospital where he was subsequently pronounced deceased. The only other occupant, a female passenger, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
As previously released by the RCMP, the stolen Acura had been flagged as having connection to the human remains found in a burned vehicle in Summerland.
Upon completion of the investigation, Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald, KC, reviewed the evidence and determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe that three officers may have committed offences in relation to the incident and subsequent deaths. As a result, and pursuant to Section 38.11 of the Police Act, the IIO has forwarded a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges.
In order to approve any charges, the BC Prosecution Service must be satisfied that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO, and that prosecution be required in the public interest.
While the matter is with Crown, the IIO will not be making any additional comment about the facts of this case.
