Bail for driver in fatal Beltline crash
Taxi driver, passenger were killed in collision that injured another man
A judge has ordered the release of a 20- year- old man accused of causing a collision that killed a taxi driver and his female passenger last month.
Ali Alejandro Montoya was granted bail by provincial court Judge Allan Fradsham on Wednesday on $ 10,000 cash and another $ 10,000 in non- cash assets. Both of the accused’s parents are named as sureties for the bail and must sign for him.
Montoya will also remain under 24- hour house arrest, except for work, medical emergencies, shopping for the necessities of life and to attend court.
He must surrender his passport by Friday.
Defence lawyer Hepner, who sought his client’s release, said outside court it was the right thing to do in the circumstances.
“He’s released on very strict conditions,” Hepner said outside court.
“I read a couple of paragraphs of the decision and ( the judge) found that, despite a new decision from the Supreme Court of Canada, to release him on these conditions does not offend the administration of justice or will not cause the public to lose confidence in the administration of justice. That is the essence of the decision.”
Crown prosecutors Kevin Doyle and Steve Wilson had argued last week for Montoya’s detention.
Amritpal Singh Kharbanda, 46, a father of two girls, was killed along with his passenger Jillian Lavallee, 25, in the May 2 crash. It occurred about 2 o’clock in the morning when his cab was broadsided at 12th Ave. in the inner city community of Beltline. Lavallee died about 12 hours later.
The Cadillac Escalade was heading north on Macleod Trail S. E. when it hit the passenger side of the taxi, which was driving eastbound on 12th Avenue.
As it drove through the intersection, the Escalade first rammed into a Honda Civic driven by a 64- year- old man, who sustained serious injuries.
When the Escalade crashed into the taxi, it trapped Kharbanda and Lavallee inside, forcing emergency crews to use special tools to pry them out of the wreckage.
Montoya is charged with three counts each of criminal negligence and impaired driving — two for causing death and one for causing bodily harm in connection with the crash.
Evidence presented at the bail hearing and reasons for decision cannot be reported because of a publication ban.
Montoya will be back in court with his lawyer on June 22 to set a date for preliminary inquiry.