SURREY, B.C. -- B.C.'s independent police watchdog has launched investigations into two separate incidents involving the death of one man and serious injuries suffered by another.
The Independent Investigations Office says that in Victoria, a male driver trying to flee from police died at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday after his vehicle struck a lamp standard.
Victoria police say the officer was trying to stop the speeding driver and had activated his emergency equipment but ended the chase about 30 seconds before the crash.
The IIO says prior to that, at about 12:30 a.m., a pair of RCMP officers travelling in separate vehicles in Maple Ridge saw a young man on the road and that while the first cruiser passed by, the second one struck him.
The youth suffered serious injuries and was transported to hospital.
Independent investigators were deployed to the scene in each incident.
