The BC Prosecution Service is being asked to consider charges against three Abbotsford officers involved in a deadly chase two years ago.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) says Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald has reviewed evidence and determined there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the officers “may have committed offences in relation to the incident,” which happened on Aug. 7, 2022.
Police previously said on that afternoon, officers had spotted a vehicle that was reported stolen in the area of Livingstone Avenue and Maclure Road.
The 1991 white Acura Integra got away but was once again seen by police about an hour later, this time in the area of Hillcrest Avenue and Emerson Street.
Abbotsford police said “contact was made between police vehicles and the stolen vehicle.” Given information that the vehicle was believed to have been used in what police described as a “recent violent crime” in another city, officers gave chase.
The Acura eventually lost control, police say, adding the vehicle crashed into a tree along Maclure Road. The female passenger died at the scene while the male driver was taken to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The IIO was called in.
“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,” the IIO said in an update Tuesday.
The office says it has since 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,” the IIO explained.
No further details were provided.