2 dead after police chase involving allegedly stolen vehicle in Abbotsford
Two people are dead and B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating following a police pursuit that ended in a horrific crash.
Abbotsford police say the incident began at around 3 p.m. Sunday.
Officers spotted an allegedly stolen vehicle, a 1991 White Acura Integra. near Livingston Avenue and Maclure Road.
They lost sight of the car not long after so no attempts to stop the vehicle were made.
A little over an hour later, officers relocated it in the area of Hillcrest Avenue and Emerson Street.
“Contact was made between police vehicles and the stolen vehicle and based on information that the vehicle was involved in a recent violent crime in another jurisdiction, a decision to enter a police pursuit was authorized,” said Sgt. Paul Walker of the Abbotsford Police Department in a news release.
Police have not provided details on what crime was or where it happened.
During the police pursuit, the alleged stolen vehicle lost control, crashing on Maclure Road near Clearbrook Road.
“No other civilians or civilian cars were involved in the collision,” wrote Walker.
The woman in the passenger seat of the Acura died on scene.
The driver was taken to hospital, but he later died as well.
The crumpled Acura was barely recognizable as it was towed away from the scene covered by a blue tarp.
A police vehicle was also taken away on a tow truck.
The AbbyPD Major Crime Unit and Integrated Collision Analysis Reconstruction Service are investigating.
Faisal Waheed lives next to the crash scene and says he heard a screech quickly followed by lots of sirens.
“It was pretty loud and there were a lot of police,'' said Waheed.
He looked over his back fence to see what had happened and saw police standing around a badly damaged car in the median.
“They were wrapping up a body,” he described.
Because officers were involved in the moments leading up to the crash, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is now investigating too.
“Certainly the risk the individuals in the car pose to the public, if they're not caught, is a very relevant factor in determining the potential justification for a pursuit and actions of police taken during that pursuit,” said Ronald MacDonald, the chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office.
MacDonald declined to provide more details about the circumstances of the crash in order to avoid impacting the memories of any potential witnesses.
“There will be some complex issues, as there often are with pursuit cases, we will look at those very carefully and make a decision in the due course,” MacDonald told CTV News.
Anyone in the area at the time of the crash who may have dashcam video or information is asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.