Ontario’s police watchdog says it has charged two officers in connection with fatal crash wrong-way pursuit on Highway 401 last spring.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) announced Friday that it had laid charges against Durham Regional Police officers sergeant. Richard Flynn and Const. Brandon Hamilton is each charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
The update comes more than eight months after a fatal multi-vehicle crash on April 29, 2024 in Whitby, Ontario.
That night, the SIU said several Durham officers were pursuing a van that had been identified as a vehicle of interest in an alleged liquor store robbery near Clarington, Ont.
SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon told reporters at the time that officers found a vehicle of interest – a U-Haul van – and followed it through numerous streets in Durham Region ” while the vehicle was driving erratically.”
The vehicle entered Highway 401 at Stevenson Road in Oshawa in the wrong direction and was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes.
Shortly after, Hudon said there was a collision involving at least six vehicles on Highway 401, just east of Highway 412, in Whitby, resulting in the death of a three-year-old child. months, the child’s grandmother, aged 55, and his grandfather, aged 60. Two other family members were also in the car and were injured.
The driver of the van, also killed in the crash, was identified as a 21-year-old man, while a 38-year-old passenger was seriously injured.
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Although the SIU is required to complete its investigations into police actions within 120 daysthe watchdog said in August it needed more time to complete a “thorough investigation.”
The SIU said two officers involved in the pursuit did not submit to an interview or provide their memos, as is their legal right. Nineteen official witnesses and 36 civilian witnesses were named in this case.
Durham Regional Police Chief Peter Moreira said he would “respect the process” and also conduct his own internal investigation.
“The fact remains that, regardless of the results of the SIU investigation, this was a tragic and catastrophic event that resulted in the deaths of innocent people, devastated a family and deeply affected our community,” he said at a hastily arranged news conference. Friday.
Moreira said both officers had been suspended with pay and would be given administrative duties “if and when they are reinstated.” He said he believed they had 32 and four years of experience on the force.
“Our officers are often called upon to make split-second decisions in an increasingly complex, dynamic and dangerous environment and they do so with a commitment to protecting lives and taking dangerous criminals off the streets – and we are held accountable for our actions. » said Moreira.
“Whether your concern is focused on the alleged criminal who fled the police or the decision-making of the officers during this event, we must all respect our justice system and be patient while this process unfolds.
“Our family is in shock”
The incident raised questions about the decision to pursue the van in the wrong direction on the highway.
After the crash, Durham police and emergency dispatchers were instructed to complete a chase course within two months.
Gokulnath Manivannan and his wife Ashwitha were in the car that night and spoke about the impacts in a May statement issued by the SIU, saying, “Our family is in shock.”
“We are completely at a loss for words to describe the agony and emptiness in our hearts knowing that we will never be able to hold in our hands again our child Aditya Vivaan, who has given us so many precious memories in such a short time” , Gokulnath said.
He added that his parents came from Chennai, India, for the sole purpose of spending time with their grandson. They had arrived in Canada only two days before the accident.
“My father, who had recently retired at the age of 60, was delighted to be able to spend time with his grandson,” the statement said.
“He affectionately referred to this time as ‘the year of grandparent fun.’ »
He said the little boy’s grandmother “looked forward to every moment with her son and grandson, planning to dedicate their time to her grandchild.”
“The pain of my own injuries fades as I grapple with the shock and loss of my parents and only son on the same evening and the ordeal continues with my wife’s continued suffering from surgeries and repeated flashbacks of the trauma,” Gokulnath wrote.
Flynn and Hamilton are scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Oshawa on February 13.
– with files from Isaac Callan of Global News
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