Police vehicle that crashed into Regina home had been called in by aerial unit
Alexander Quon | CBC News | Posted: December 7, 2023 6:12 PM | Last Updated: December 7
'At this time it appears the other vehicle turned into the path of the patrol car,' a police spokesperson said
Regina police have confirmed that a police vehicle that crashed into a home on Broad Street in late November was responding to a request from the force's aerial support unit.
On Nov. 24 at approximately 7:23 p.m. CST, the police cruiser was travelling north on Broad Street looking for a vehicle seen driving dangerously on Rochdale Boulevard, according to police.
A spokesperson for the Regina Police Service (RPS) said that a vehicle travelling south on Broad Street turned east on Fourth Avenue North and then there was a "minor" crash between the two vehicles.
After the crash, the police vehicle came "to a rest against" a home in the 100 block of Broad Street, police say.
WATCH| Surveillance video appears to show Regina police car crashing into house:
Surveillance video obtained by CBC News shows a police vehicle travelling on Broad, swerving away from something not visible in the video, then smashing into the side of a home.
In the video, it appears the police vehicle's emergency lights only turn on after it hits the home.
"At this time it appears the other vehicle turned into the path of the patrol car," police told CBC last week.
Police said in their initial release that the cause of the crash and charges were pending. There was no update on the potential charges as of Wednesday.
When asked whether the police vehicle had its lights or sirens activated and how fast it was going, a spokesperson for RPS said those details are being reviewed by the service's collision review board.
"The Collision Review Board assesses all collisions involving police vehicles and determines first, if the collision was preventable and second, if deemed preventable, what actions need to be taken in relation to officer training and/or discipline," the spokesperson said.
As of Wednesday, police say the review was still in progress.
Regina police say the vehicle was responding to a call for assistance from the RPS police plane, or aerial support unit (ASU), when the crash happened.
Police stressed that the vehicle was not taking part in a pursuit when it crashed.
Members of the ASU have told Regina's Board of Police Commissioners that the plane allows them to safely follow a vehicle from the air, meaning ground units no longer have to take part in possibly dangerous pursuit.
However, a spokesperson for the RPS says that there are still times when the threat to public safety is deemed high enough that a vehicle needs to be "pursued and stopped by police, rather than wait for it to stop."
Pursuit numbers are decreasing as a result of the ASU, police said.
Police said the vehicle the ASU was watching the night of the crash had sped through a school zone on Mapleford Boulevard and down multiple residential streets, travelling between 80km/h and 130 km/h through heavy traffic.
It would eventually come to a stop a short time later in a driveway on Boswell Crescent.
The ASU directed ground officers to the vehicle and they arrived as three people left the vehicle. The driver was arrested without incident, according to police.
A 16-year-old is facing a charge of operating a conveyance dangerous to the public in connection with the incident.
They will make their first appearance in court in January.