Impaired driver pleads guilty in Burnaby hit-and-run that killed cyclist
A driver pleaded guilty this week to his role in a fatal hit-and-run crash on Burnaby Mountain in 2019.
Sumeet Mangat entered the plea Tuesday to impaired operation of conveyance causing death and failure to stop after an accident resulting in death.
Mangat, who was 24 when he was charged earlier this year, will be appearing in court in December for sentencing.
The charges were in connection to the death of Charles Masala, a 53-year-old man who was struck by an SUV in June 2019 as he cycled up Burnaby Mountain. The scene was not far from the Simon Fraser University campus.
Police said the driver left the scene, but that a black Jeep Cherokee was located a short time later and the driver was arrested.
Two years after Masala's death, his widow spoke to CTV News about what she called a "slow" court system as she waited for the accused to be tried.
Michele Masala said at the time that she'd actually heard first responders heading to where her husband had been hit, just blocks from his home, but didn't know what was happening.
"If I'd understood the significance of the sirens, I could have been there with him. I didn't find out until three hours later, and then he was gone," she said in July.
The now-single mother said her husband left behind two small children, and that she makes a point of talking about him at home.
She tries to focus on the quirky and fun things about him, and to pass on a message he believed, "that they're allowed to dream big because that was Charles's thing."
Masala was an engineer with two master's degrees. He moved to Canada from Zambia in 1991, and met his wife in what she called a "super cheesy, love-at-first-sight deal" during a church hiking trip.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.