RCMP defend end of pursuit of truck later involved in fatal crash

Saskatchewan RCMP say policy was followed correctly when the pursuit of a stolen truck near Lloydminster was called off, even though the vehicle was involved minutes later in a deadly collision.

While the end result in this case was horribly tragic — three women from Edmonton were killed and a fourth woman was seriously injured — a stolen vehicle “does not meet the threshold,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Rob Embree said on Wednesday.

“I think it’s very important to realize that every time that we’re involved in a pursuit, we put our members and the general public at risk. We know that, so we have to take that into serious account,” Embree said.

“In this situation, members were involved with what they believed to be at the time a stolen vehicle. The reality is that does not meet the threshold to continue the pursuit.”

Last Friday around 2:30 p.m., Maidstone RCMP were investigating three suspicious vehicles. One of them, a flat-deck truck that was involved in the fatal crash, was seen driving in the area. RCMP members activated their emergency equipment and attempted to stop the truck. The truck fled, and police began to give chase while notifying the monitoring supervisor. After assessing the situation, the monitoring supervisor terminated the pursuit.

The fatal crash happened about 35 minutes after the pursuit was called off. No RCMP vehicles were in the area when the crash took place.

RCMP announced Wednesday that Brandon Stucka, 26, of Lloydminster, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, dangerous operation of motor vehicle causing bodily harm, failure to stop at the scene of an accident, flight from police, possession of property obtained by crime and three counts of breach of undertaking.

Stucka was scheduled to appear Thursday in North Battleford provincial court.

Three members of the Liberian community in Edmonton died in the crash. Eva Tumbay, 37, and Glorious David, 35, were pronounced dead at the scene, while Jeannette Wright, 53, later died from her injuries. Janet Wright Gaye, 32, was airlifted to hospital in Edmonton with serious injuries.

“Highly unfortunate and highly tragic,” Embree said. “It’s a very unfortunate set of circumstances.”

Embree said a stolen vehicle is a serious offence, but the danger to the public is much higher with a pursuit.

Curtis Zablocki, F Division commanding officer and assistant commissioner, said this week the pursuit was ended in accordance with the RCMP’s emergency vehicle operation policy.

“Given that pursuits pose a serious risk to the public, RCMP developed national policy that outlines the requirements for initiating a pursuit, the ongoing monitoring and assessing, and the decision to continue or terminate a pursuit,” said Zablocki.

Embree said that “in the moment, things happen very quickly” and that “if the vehicle chooses not to stop, we have to consider the risk that comes into play . ... The safety of the public is paramount.”