Vancouver officer did not 'play a role' in fatal crash in Burnaby, IIO finds

Emergency crews are responding to a crash in Burnaby, B.C., that left one person dead and halted traffic on Hastings Street Wednesday morning. (CTV)

The actions of a police officer who saw a driver speed through a red light in Vancouver did not contribute to a fatal crash that happened soon after in Burnaby, according to the province's police watchdog.

The Independent Investigations Office of BC announced the conclusion of its investigation Tuesday.

In a statement, Civilian Director Ronald MacDonald said the officer saw the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado run a red light "at a high rate of speed" at the intersection of East Hastings Street and Clark Drive just before 5 a.m. on July 19.

The IIO's investigation revealed that the officer did not try to stop the truck and did not initiate a pursuit.

"The evidence shows the officer driving at a low rate of speed and without activating their emergency lights some distance behind the Silverado," according to MacDonald.

"Given the recklessness exhibited by the driver of the Silverado, the officer appropriately determined that a pursuit could be unsafe and did not attempt it. The officer, therefore, did not play a role in the subsequent collision, nor the tragic death and injuries that followed," it continued.

In a media release appealing for witnesses to the collision, the Burnaby RCMP said a woman was killed and two other people were injured when a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and a Toyota Supra collided near East Hastings Street and Willingdon Avenue.

The crash scene is approximately five kilometres from where the driver was reportedly spotted by the officer in Vancouver.

Police have not released any information on the suspected cause of the crash.