No charges against officers in fatal Vanier collision
The province’s Special Investigations Unit has found no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against any Ottawa police officer in connection with an April 2016 Vanier Parkway crash that resulted in the deaths of two men.
The incident began at about 1 a.m. April 16, when a 37-year-old man driving a Pontiac G6 attempted to avoid being apprehended by police near Cumberland and George streets in the ByWard Market. Police initiated a chase, which was quickly cancelled by duty sergeants due to possible danger to other vehicles, the SIU investigation determined.
A short time later, after blowing through a number of red lights at high speed, the driver of the G6 slammed into a Honda Accord being driven by Alex Cross, 24, at the intersection of McArthur Street and the Vanier Parkway. Cross and his 21-year-old female passenger were thrown from their vehicle as it rolled over.
Cross was killed in the crash and the woman suffered life-threatening head injuries and severe trauma, but recovered. The 39-yearold driver of the G6 was also critically injured in the crash. He died in hospital last December. His identity has not been released.
“There is no basis whatsoever to hold either of the two subject officers responsible for the terrible outcomes of the motor vehicle collision,” SIU director Tony Loparco said in a news release.
“The pursuit was shortlived, having been terminated by the road sergeant. The driver operated his vehicle at hazardous speeds through multiple red lights for over 1.47 km with no one following him. He showed a wanton and reckless disregard for all other people using the roadway.
“As a result of the prudent decision of the road sergeant, the two subject officers cannot be said to have causally contributed to the collision in a legal sense.
“Consequently, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has been committed and no charges will issue.”
The SIU said four investigators and two forensic investigators were assigned to the case. They interviewed nine civilian witnesses and five witness police officers. The notes of an additional six officers were reviewed.
Two officers were designated as subject officers. Neither officer consented to interviews or to the release of their duty notes, as is their legal right, according to the SIU.
Investigators also reviewed video footage from several businesses in the area, as well as traffic camera videos. The SIU obtained police communications recordings and automatic vehicle location data from the involved police vehicles.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency staffed by police officers that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.