'Justice delayed is justice denied': Outrage that no charges laid in Burnaby crash that killed 2 teens
Friends and families of two teenagers who were killed in a crash are speechless after learning the driver and passenger who caused the crash are walking free in the community.
The fatal collision happened the night of July 26.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police said officers tried to pull over a white sedan a few blocks from the crash site. They did not say what prompted them to attempt a traffic stop.
A witness told CTV News they saw the white sedan speeding through the intersection at 10th Avenue and 6th Street in Burnaby, just moments before the crash.
Yasbirat Ytatek, 17, and Samir Ali, 18, later died in hospital from their injuries.
Moges Seblehiwot, president of Ethiopian Affairs and family friend of the Ytateks, said the parents of both teens are in agony.
“They're in deep pain. So I don't know how they are going to be healed from such a horrible situation,” he said.
The grief only heightened after learning the male driver and female passenger in the fleeing vehicle have been released from police custody with several conditions, including a curfew, and a promise to appear in court in November.
Police have recommended charges of prohibited driving, dangerous driving causing death and flight from police but those have not been approved by Crown counsel – and Seblehiwot and others say they don’t understand why that has not happened yet.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Seblehiwot said. “We demand justice, as soon as possible. And these people, these families are suffering now: they can't work, they are losing their homes, they are losing their lives.”
MVTP explained the court date is set months from now to make sure "investigators have a sufficient amount of time to gather and process evidence."
"As you can imagine, a file this significant and the fact that multiple agencies are involved, would naturally take a bit longer to piece together," Const. Amanda Steed said in an emailed statement.
Kash Heed, a former police chief and former minister of public safety and solicitor general, said he is also bewildered as to why the suspects were released without charges.
“The credibility of the police and the prosecution is now being looked at when you release to people you don't even charge them at the outset with killing two people. I find that absolutely absurd with the laws here in British Columbia and in Canada,” he said.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is also involved, investigating whether there was a police pursuit and if that was a factor in the collision.
Heed said based on the preliminary information about this incident, there was no need for a police pursuit.
“The information coming forward that that was a fail to stop, that is just a motor vehicle act offence, it is not a criminal code offence whatsoever,” he told CTV News. “There is no justification or reasonableness as to why the officers would initiate the pursuit.”
He said the IIO investigation would be critical in determining whether the officers involved followed procedures.
“The laws in Canada are adequate. We don't have to reinvent them. We have to make sure that the police officers that are protecting the public are following those procedures following those laws. And if they're not, the punishment has to be the extent that it's going to deter other police officers from disregarding the policy,” he said.
A candlelight vigil is planned for Monday evening at 7 p.m. at the crash site.
GoFundMe campaigns have been launched to support Ytatek’s family and Ali’s family.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Thieves use stolen forklift to rip cash machine out of U.K. bank
Police in the U.K. are searching for a group of suspects seen on video using a forklift to steal a cash machine from a bank.
'There was a lot of black smoke': Crane operator sounds alarm while trapped during highrise fire in Halifax
A tower crane operator alerted emergency crews after noticing a fire on a construction site in Halifax Tuesday morning.