Metro Vancouver police said the crash happened shortly after 11 p.m. near 10th Avenue and 6th Street in New Westminster.
“Our officers tried to stop the traffic of a vehicle. That driver reportedly ran away. Several minutes later, the vehicle was located by our officers on fire and had been involved in a collision with another vehicle,” said Const. Amanda Steed, MVTP spokesperson. Police said two people in the other vehicle were taken to hospital but died from their injuries. “It’s tragic. You’re out there minding our business driving, going wherever you go, and we don’t expect to get involved in a crash, let alone die in one. Our thoughts are with the family of the people who succumbed to their injuries,” Steed said. The driver who allegedly fled from police and their passenger were arrested near the scene of the car fire. Both remain in custody and may face charges of driving while prohibited, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and fleeing police. Transit police are continuing their investigation and BC’s police watchdog, the Office of Independent Investigations, has been notified of the incident. Transit police are not disclosing what prompted officers to try to pull the vehicle over or where the attempted traffic stop took place. It is also a piece of the puzzle that IIO is looking at. “We are still trying to locate the point where the attempted traffic stop was made. But certainly, that’s one of the key questions in our research,” said Ron MacDonald, the chief political officer. “If there was a chase, how long? How long did it go on? These are all key ingredients and help to determine the police’s role in this conflict, if any, and to determine whether their actions were justified or not,” he said. The IIO is charged with investigating all police-related incidents in BC that result in death or serious injury to a member of the public, regardless of whether there is an allegation of wrongdoing by the police. Anyone with information or dash-cam video is asked to call MVTP at 604-515-8300.
