Officers involved in a high-speed crash on Veterans’ Memorial Parkway in April have been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Independent Investigations Office of BC, the province’s police watchdog.
On April 28 at 11:05 a.m., two West Shore RCMP members had finished dealing with a shooting at Happy Valley Market in Langford when they were notified of two vehicles speeding toward the intersection of Veteran’s Memorial Parkway and Kelly Road, possibly street racing.
READ ALSO: Police call Happy Valley shooting an ‘isolated and targeted’ incident
One of the vehicles, a Cadillac, raced through the intersection, while the driver of the other vehicle, a white Kia Optima, decided to make a quick turn onto Kelly Road.
The driver lost control and crashed head-on into a stopped 18-wheeler truck at the intersection. The Kia was reportedly travelling at 109 km/h five seconds before the crash.
The driver reportedly serious injuries, including a broken arm and three cervical spine fractures. The truck driver was uninjured.
READ ALSO: Pair of crashes snarl traffic on Veterans Memorial Parkway
But moments after the Kia driver was helped out of the vehicle, he was arrested and placed in handcuffs upon an officer’s discovery of a firearm in the car. One witness described the arrest as ‘gentle.’
Toxicology reports found the driver had amphetamines, methamphetamines, ketamines, opiates, fentanyl and norfentanyl in his blood.
“Nothing in the evidence suggests any unjustified or excessive application of force by any officer in the arrest,” says Ronald J. MacDonald, Chief Civilian Director of the IIO.
The IIO has determined that the officers had no part in the injuries of the Kia driver.
READ ALSO: Police charge 27-year-old man with weapons offences after Langford shooting