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SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon was questioned about the dangerous nature of the pursuit and procedures in place for police forces at a press conference on a highway overpass Tuesday after a fatal Whitby crash killed four people.By R.J. Johnston Toronto Star
Police actions are being questioned following a pursuit that ended in a fatal crash on Highway 401 in Whitby, killing an infant and their grandparents.
Durham Regional Police said on X, formerly Twitter, that they had pursued a suspect fleeing an alleged robbery near Highway 2 and Green Road in Bowmanville on Monday night.
What happened next is still unclear, with Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, now investigating. Witness video obtained by the Star shows a cube van followed by a least one marked police SUV — its red and blue lights flashing — driving at high speeds into oncoming traffic on Highway 401.
The pursuit ended with three occupants of one vehicle, a 60 and 55-year-old grandparents and their infant grandchild, killed, an SIU spokesperson said Tuesday. Another unidentified person was taken to hospital. There were no known police injuries.
SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon was questioned about the dangerous nature of the pursuit and procedures in place for police forces at a press conference on a highway overpass Tuesday.
“Every situation is different and as part of the SIU’s investigation we are going to look into the pursuit,” Hudon said, offering no other specifics in the early stages of the probe.
The new Community Safety and Policing Act, which came into force April 1, spells out policies and procedures for vehicle pursuits, updating a previous regulation.
4 people dead including an infant after police chase on Highway 401 in Whitby Colin Williamson Photo
By Freelance
Police pursuits, the regulation says, are permitted when an officer has reason to believe a crime has been committed but specifies officers should not begin a pursuit if alternatives can be “readily” implemented.
Importantly, the regulation also spells out that officers must first determine if “the risk to public safety that may result from the pursuit is outweighed by the risk to public safety” if the suspect fleeing is not apprehended.
And during the pursuit, the laws say officers must “continually reassess” that risk to public safety and stop the chase if they determine that the risk to the public in pursuing a suspect no longer outweighs the risk to the public if they get away.
The regulation requires all Ontario police services to develop procedures that align with the laws around pursuits, including identifying supervisors with “decision-making responsibility.” That supervisor, the law says, must call off the chase if they deem the risk to public safety too great to continue.
It's not known how many officers were involved in the pursuit and what if any direction was given by a supervisor.
It's also not known what, if any, alternatives were considered by the force.
According to the service’s website, Durham Police have an Air Support Unit based at the Oshawa Airport that includes a Bell 206 helicopter.
“Our aircraft is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether on general patrol or an on-call basis.”
Criminal defence lawyer Daniel Brown said expected "police officers will use sound judgment when embarking on police pursuits that could jeopardize the safety of the public."
“This tragedy could have been avoided had the police used common sense in this pursuit.”
More to come.
来源链接：
https://www.toronto.com/news/police-chase-in-spotlight-after-wrong-way-pursuit-on-highway-401-ends-in-tragedy/article_8b286912-d749-5b88-8046-1eab7940ecd1.html
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