IIO finds no grounds for charges against police after 2 teens killed in Burnaby crash
British Columbia's police oversight agency has found no reasonable grounds for charges against Metro Vancouver Transit Police officers after two teenagers were killed and two other people were injured in a 2022 crash in Burnaby.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said Friday it had closed its investigation into police conduct in the failed traffic stop, clearing the officers of wrongdoing. However, the agency said it would not release its full report publicly until an ongoing police investigation into the matter has concluded.
The transit police had tried to pull over a Nissan Altima "being driven erratically" around 11 p.m. on July 26, 2022, the department said following the incident.
The vehicle then struck a Toyota Yaris at the intersection of 10th Avenue and Sixth Street, fatally injuring a 17-year-old occupant from Burnaby and an 18-year-old from Vancouver.
The male driver and female passenger in the suspect vehicle attempted to flee the crash scene on foot but were quickly caught and arrested. They were both taken to hospital with injuries.
Cory Robert Ulmer Brown was later charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing death, one count of driving while disqualified, and one count of flight from police. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 12 in Surrey.
Friends identified the 18-year-old crash victim as Samir Ali, an Ethiopian refugee who was set to attend the University of British Columbia on a full scholarship. The other victim, Yasbirat Ytatek, was also from Ethiopia and still in high school.
The teens were travelling home from a soccer game when they were struck and later died in hospital.
The chief civilian director of the IIO reviewed forensic evidence from the scene, as well as video and medical records before finding there were no grounds to recommend charges of police misconduct, the agency said in a news release Friday.
The IIO is an independent police watchdog that investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Becca Clarkson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Man throws flaming liquid on New York City subway, burns fellow rider
A man set a cup of liquid on fire and tossed it at fellow subway rider in New York City, setting the victim's shirt ablaze and injuring him.
At least 9 dead in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region
Powerful storms killed at least nine people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where drivers took shelter during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
As Canada warms, infectious disease risks spread north
Cases of Lyme disease have now increased more than 1,000 per cent in a decade as the warming climate pushes the boundaries of a range of pathogens and risk factors northward.
12 people injured after Qatar Airways plane hits turbulence on way to Dublin
Twelve people were injured when a Qatar Airways plane flying from Doha to Dublin on Sunday hit turbulence, airport authorities said.