A father of two who died after a police-involved car crash in Langley on Monday has been identified as Delta resident Victor Melo Duarte.
BC Coroners Service says Duarte, 47, was driving one of three cars that collided on 16th Avenue and 240th Street in Langley around 5 p.m. One of the other two cars in the crash had been speeding away from police just minutes earlier. Duarte died at the scene.
According to point-of-sale software company Speedline, Duarte worked there as an account manager. Staff told CTV News that Duarte, a married man with two children, was heading home from work before he was killed in the crash.
A friend of the family Alessandra Quaglia said Duarte's wife and kids are devastated and looking for answers.
"I don't think they're handling it very well at all. the children are devastated, I know for his daughter it was very hard, she didn't want her father's name released right away and his wife is just, as well, devastated," Quaglia said.
The Independent Investigations Office, which has been tasked with probing the crash, says a truck had raced into a speed trap near the 24000-block of 0 Avenue that day.
The driver allegedly fled when officers tried to stop him, and minutes later slammed into another car down the street.
Witness Chris Walker told CTV News he saw a police car with its sirens blazing trailing close behind the suspect vehicle about two kilometres down the road from the eventual crash site.
“This [truck] must have been doing 160, 180 kilometres an hour. I don’t think that truck could have gone any faster,” Walker said, adding that police were “absolutely” in pursuit.
IIO chief civilian officer Richard Rosenthal did not confirm whether a chase had taken place, but said the officer’s actions are under investigation.
“That’s what the investigation is about, is to determine was there any kind of pursuit? Were the officer’s actions appropriate according to policy and law?” Rosenthal said.
Another witness suggested that if a pursuit had taken place, it was over by the time the crash occurred.
“There was no police chase at the time we seen him. He basically chose to run that intersection all his own,” said Morey Wilson.
The suspect driver was arrested at the scene.
Since the IIO opened in September, civilian investigators have responded to eight cases across the province related to deadly or serious incidents involving police.
A fund has been set up to help the family and those wishing to donate can do so at any Royal Bank of Canada location under the Fund in Trust for Victor Duarte.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Michele Brunoro and files from The Canadian Press
