Calgary officers cleared after drunk driver flees traffic stop, hits and kills pedestrians

Alberta's police watchdog has cleared two Calgary Police Service (CPS) officers of any wrongdoing in their dealings with a speeding drunk driver who hit and killed two pedestrians in the city's southwest.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released the results of an investigation into the deadly crash on Friday.
It happened in the intersection of 17th Avenue and 85th Street S.W. on the evening of Dec. 12, 2020.
According to ASIRT, police had received numerous calls about a vehicle travelling erratically and at high speed on westbound 17 Avenue S.W.
Shortly after, two officers in a marked CPS cruiser saw the silver Acura sedan speed by them at the intersection of 17th Avenue and 45th Street S.W.
The CPS cruiser was being driven by a junior officer who was being mentored by a coach officer seated in the front passenger seat, an arrangement ASIRT noted is a "normal part" of a junior officer’s training.
The officers followed the speeding sedan along 17th Avenue but didn't travel at "excessive speeds" in order to catch up with it.
They pulled up behind the Acura at a red light in the intersection of 69th Street S.W.
Once the light turned green, the officers turned on their lights to stop the driver.
"The silver Acura sedan initially came to a stop in the right hand lane, but only remained stationary for approximately nine seconds and then fled at a high rate of speed," ASIRT said.
The officers used their radios to communicate that the driver had "taken off" and continued driving on 17th Avenue S.W. at a normal rate of speed, eventually coming upon a collision in the intersection of 85th Street S.W.
As they got out of their vehicle to investigate, the officers discovered the Acura had hit two pedestrians before travelling down an embankment, coming to rest on its side near a storm drain.
The pedestrians were pronounced dead at the scene.
Flowers have been laid at the scene of a fatal pedestrian incident in Calgary. Police were reportedly conducting an investigation of a suspect when the driver sped off and struck two people.ASIRT said the pair were "engaged to be married” and had "been out for a walk that evening."
The driver of the Acura, who was travelling approximately 200 km/h, was still in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, breathing but unconscious.
He was rushed to the hospital where he died from his injuries a few days later.
ASIRT noted his blood alcohol level was determined to be four times the legal driving limit.
In its report, ASIRT concluded that while the crash was "tragic," the two CPS officers involved were not to blame and should actually "be commended" for their actions prior to the fatal collision.
"As witnessed on the various recording devices, there was proper and intelligent communication between the coach officer and the junior officer," ASIRT said.
"Throughout the interaction with the Acura the junior officer sought guidance from the coach officer and the coach officer provided clear instruction to the junior officer, including the direction to not purse the Acura when it fled the traffic stop.”
ASIRT said while the decisions made didn't prevent the Acura from hitting the pedestrians, if they had engaged in a pursuit, it may have caused the Acura driver to travel even faster and more erratically.
ASIRT said the two people who were killed had the right of way on the crosswalk they were using, which was at a controlled intersection.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

PM pans Poilievre for 'pulling stunts' by threatening to delay MPs' holidays with House tactics
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is threatening to delay MPs' holidays by throwing up thousands of procedural motions seeking to block Liberal legislation until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backs off his carbon tax. It's a move Government House Leader Karina Gould was quick to condemn, warning the Official Opposition leader's 'temper tantrum' tactics will impact Canadians.
Police say 3 dead, fourth wounded and shooter also dead in University of Nevada, Las Vegas attack
A gunman killed three people and critically wounded a fourth Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before being killed in a shootout with police, authorities said. The attack sent shock waves through a city still scarred by the deaths of 60 people in a 2017 mass shooting only a few miles away on the famous Strip.
'I'm so broken': Grieving family speaks out after B.C. cancer patient awaiting treatment chooses MAID
A devastated family says long waits for cancer treatment led a beloved father and grandfather to choose medically assisted death 13 days ago.
One of the dwarf planets in our solar system is 'squishy' like 'soft cheese,' researchers say
A new study investigating the properties of one of the dwarf planets in our solar system has found that it might have a 'squishy' composition, closer to a 'soft cheese' than a hard ball of rock.
'I'm never going to be satisfied': Ontario 'crypto king' lands in Australia as associate flees to Dubai
Ontario’s self-described ‘crypto king’ just landed in Australia, the latest destination in a months-long travel spree he’s prolifically posted about on social media, despite ongoing bankruptcy proceedings tied to the more than $40 million scheme he allegedly operated.
opinion Don Martin: Greg Fergus risks becoming the shortest serving Speaker in our history
House Speaker Greg Fergus could face a parliamentary committee inquisition where his fate might hang on a few supportive NDP votes. But political columnist Don Martin says this NDP support might be shaky, given how one possible replacement is herself a New Democrat.
333 Afghan nationals arrive in Winnipeg, will live in various Canadian communities
Hundreds of Afghan nationals were brought to Canada on a charter flight and will go on to live in several Canadian communities, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller said Wednesday.
No fourth-ballot winner as Assembly of First Nations seeks its next national chief
The Assembly of First Nations is headed into a fifth round of voting to choose a new national chief. Cindy Woodhouse, the current regional chief for Manitoba, continues to lead her closest challenger: David Pratt, vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations.
Nevada grand jury indicts six Republicans who falsely certified that Trump won the state in 2020
A Nevada grand jury on Wednesday indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in their state, making Nevada the third to seek charges against so-called 'fake electors.'