SURREY -- A young cab driver killed by a suspected drunk driver earlier this week in Vancouver is being remembered as an honest and kind man.

28 year-old Sanehpal Randhawa had two passengers in his Yellow Cab vehicle on Dec. 29 when they were hit by a Car2Go Smart car at about 3:30 a.m. at 1st Avenue and Renfrew Street. The force of the impact sent the cab crashing into the front doors of a bank.

Randhawa was pronounced dead at the hospital, and his two passengers were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Police said the Car2Go driver ran a red light and are pointing to alcohol and speed as possible factors.

Randhawa moved from India in 2010 to start a new life in Canada. He lived in Brampton, then Calgary before settling down in Vancouver. He had just bought a new house and was set to get the keys at the end of the month.

"He was really excited for his new home," Randhawa’s friend Abhijot Solanki said Thursday. "He wanted to call his parents over in 2020. He always had a plan for everything."

Family and friends gathered in Surrey to comfort each other and mourn together.

"It was so important for us to be here with the parents, because we can’t bring the son back," said Birha Sangh, Randhawa’s roommate.

"I can’t explain about that guy. He was willing to help each and everybody. He was also there for you. We would go to the gym at the same time. We’d have breakfast same time. With who am I going to go to the gym? Who am I gonna eat breakfast with?”

Randhawa’s mother and father flew from India as soon as they heard the news. They spoke with CTV News Thursday through interpreters.

"He was a very intelligent person," his father said. "He always used to help everyone."

Through tears, his mother paid tribute to her youngest son.

"He was an honest and really kind man. He was always laughing, always making jokes," she said. "I want the world to know that he was someone who stood out."

Police say a car matching the description of the Car2Go vehicle may have avoided a police check-stop in East Vancouver just before the crash, but police won’t say if officers pursued the vehicle. The police watchdog is now investigating.

"It's not clear at this point whether police action played any role in the collision," said Ron MacDonald, the IIO's civilian director, on Dec. 30.

Randhawa’s funeral has been set for Jan. 8, and a candlelight march is also planned for Jan. 12.

"This was preventable and he should have been here right now," said Solanki. "One decision, it can change their life and someone else’s life forever."

Friends have also set up a GoFundMe page for the parents.