Calgary police officers cleared of wrongdoing in fatal 2020 fleeing vehicle collision

Alberta's police watchdog has cleared two Calgary officers of any wrongdoing in connection with a 2020 collision when a fleeing motorist driving erratically struck and killed two pedestrians.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) conducted an investigation because the two police officers had attempted to make the driver pull over a short time before the collision.

ASIRT issued its final report on Friday. 

According to the report, the incident began to unfold on the early evening of Dec. 12, 2020, after police received several reports of a vehicle travelling at excessive speed on westbound 17th Avenue S.W.

A short time later, two Calgary police officers saw the suspect vehicle, an Acura sedan, go through an intersection on 17th Avenue at 45th Street at high speed.

The officers followed but remained at normal speed, the report said. Catching up with the suspect vehicle at 69th Street, the officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled, again at high speed.

"The CPS officers did not initiate a pursuit at this time and instead remained stopped at the side of the road in order to provide radio communication about the vehicle," the report said.

"Once their communication had been acknowledged, they continued on 17th Avenue S.W. at a normal rate of speed without emergency equipment activated."

Minutes later, the officers arrived at the 85th Street intersection and found a collision scene. The fleeing driver had  struck two pedestrians. Both died at the scene.

The ASIRT report concluded the Acura was travelling at about 200 km/h when it struck the victims, a 40-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, who were in a crosswalk.

The driver of the Acura, which was found flipped on its side, was taken to hospital. He died from his injuries a few days later. 

His blood-alcohol level was later determined to have been four times the legal driving limit, the report said. 

According to the ASIRT report, the two police officers "not only have no blame whatsoever for what occurred but their actions prior to the fatal collision should be commended."

"Throughout the interaction with the Acura, the junior officer sought guidance from the coach officer and the coach officer provided clear instruction to the junior officer, including the direction to not pursue the Acura when it fled the traffic stop."

The report concluded that while the decision to not pursue the fleeing vehicle did not prevent the pedestrians' deaths, a pursuit might have prompted even faster, more erratic driving.

ASIRT also commended the coach officer for instructing the junior officer that the two of them shouldn't discuss the incident prior to giving official statements, given that an investigation would be warranted. 

"That the coach officer was able to recognize this while also taking proper control of a traumatic accident scene, without any preparation or warning, deserves recognition," the report said.

ASIRT investigates serious allegations of police misconduct, and when death or serious injury may have been caused by police in Alberta.