Calgary officers cleared after drunk driver flees traffic stop, hits and kills pedestrians
Calgary officers cleared after drunk driver flees traffic stop, hits and kills pedestrians
Calgary police tape cordons off the scene of a deadly crash on 17th Avenue S.W. on Dec. 12, 2020.
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.
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.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
There's a heightened risk of wildfires across the country during what has been one of the earliest fire seasons on record. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, here's where the risk is highest.
New research from Penn State University found certain factors can contribute to reducing what’s known as the 'urban heat island' effect, and that climate knowledge can contribute to better city planning and design.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
Capital Bike is encouraging Greater Victoria residents to choose cycling as a way to get around the region during "Go By Bike Week," which runs from May 29 to June 4.
The union representing the majority of Quebec's daycare workers is criticizing the government's decision to launch a skimpy 90-hour training program for people who want to be daycare workers but have no prior experience.
A Quebec driver who caused the death of another motorist when he swerved his truck to avoid hitting a family of ducks on the road has been sentenced to eight months in jail and a three-year driving ban.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Ottawa police are praising a local dad for quickly calling for help Sunday afternoon when he accidentally locked his keys in his car, and his infant child along with them.
Ontario Provincial Police say a driver from Augusta Township is facing an impaired driving charge after someone on Highway 416 spotted a vehicle moving erratically.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
In a province where there are vast distances between cities and towns, one local group is hoping to get public support for an idea to bridge those gaps with a rail line.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
The first twister of 2023 in the country touched down near Regina over the weekend, according to an analysis from the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP).
One person from Estevan, Sask. is dead and another is seriously injured following a collision between a pickup truck and a motorcycle on May 28 near Fortuna, North Dakota.
Calgary police tape cordons off the scene of a deadly crash on 17th Avenue S.W. on Dec. 12, 2020.
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."
