A 70-year-old taxi driver charged in connection with Wednesday's hit-and-run death of 16-year-old Tyla Rain Rose Chipaway has been released on bail.

On Thursday afternoon, the accused, Stanislaw Maguder, was released on $10,000 bail. Conditions of Maguder's release includes:

  • A curfew which requires he remains in his home between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
  • He may only ride in a motor vehicle if the vehicle's registered owner is present (public transit and hired taxi exluded)

In the early hours of March 18, police were called to the area of 16 Avenue and 5 Street N.E. after EMS reported a body was found by area residents.

Police say the victim, a 16-year-old girl, sustained trauma consistent with being struck by a vehicle. She was declared dead at the scene.

Family members confirm the victim was Tyla Rain Rose Chipaway.

Investigators say that a combination of CCTV footage and evidence from the scene led them to a suspect in the case. Security cameras show the victim was struck by a taxi.

Staff Sergeant Paul Stacey says the dashboard camera on the suspect's taxi actually captured the very point at which the taxi ran over the victim. "The young girl was lying on the roadway when the cab was going westbound on the road and ran her right over and didn't stop. Now, why she was lying down on the roadway, I couldn't say. But she was, and she was alive just prior to that so the cab running her over caused the injuries to her which ultimately caused her death."

GPS technology used by the taxi company has been able to positively confirm the vehicle in question, and. as a result, Stanislaw Maguder, 70, the driver of the taxi, has been charged.

Stacey said that it was several hours before Maguder was tracked down and arrested. "It was like we were chasing a ghost because, quite frankly, there wasn't a lot of evidence at the scene, much less than we normally find in a case like this. We had no eyewitnesses whatsoever. So when the businesses started opening up, we did what we do, and we started checking some CCTV footage in the area, and one thing led to another to another to another."

Stacey says the driver, had he stopped, would not have been facing any charges. For leaving the scene, Maguder is now facing a possible life sentence.

"There was no efforts made on the part of the taxi driver to check and make sure this girl was okay or anything else," Stacey said.

"It is a driver's responsibility to always render assistance when they feel that they've hit something, even when they've hit an object. Maybe you don't know what you hit - maybe you do, I don't know."

He added that the taxi company who employs Maguder will not be identified because the incident occurred outside the knowledge of the company and they had nothing to do with it.

Further, Stacey says that the company has been very cooperative with the investigation.

There is no word on autopsy results at this point.

Magruder's next scheduled court appearance is slated for April 9, 2015 at which time the accused will enter a plea.