Suspect vehicle in northwest B.C. hit-and-run belongs to taxi company, driver has fled Canada, RCMP say

A welcome sign in downtown Terrace, B.C., is seen in this photo from the city's website. (terrace.ca)

The suspect in a fatal hit-and-run crash in northwestern B.C. this weekend has since fled the country, Mounties say.

Terrace RCMP did not name the suspect, as charges have not yet been laid, but the detachment said in a news release Wednesday that the driver has been identified.

The fatal crash occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, likely between 2 and 2:30 a.m., on Old Lakelse Lake Drive near Clark Street in Terrace.

A witness came across a man on the road "who had suffered injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle," police said in their initial appeal for witnesses Sunday.

In their update Wednesday, police said they had obtained evidence that led them to identify the suspect vehicle as belonging to a local taxi company.

"Officers have since located the vehicle and seized it," the statement reads. "The local company has worked with the Terrace RCMP and are fully co-operating in the investigation to determine the cause of the motor vehicle incident."

Asked for clarification on whether the driver of the suspect vehicle was working as a taxi driver, B.C. RCMP spokesperson Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said he had limited information about the file, but had received no indication that the vehicle had been reported as stolen.

Police did not share the taxi company's name.

"Officers have identified the driver, who has since fled Canada," police added.

The Terrace RCMP General Investigation Section is working to bring the matter to the BC Prosecution Service for charge assessment, the detachment said.