Suspect allegedly steals 3 cars overnight, drives hundreds of kilometres across Quebec, crashes
Police watchdog investigating because officers were involved in multiple pursuits before collision
Quebec's police watchdog has launched an investigation after a motorist, allegedly fleeing from police in one of three cars stolen overnight, caused a multi-vehicle collision in a Montreal suburb.
The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) says the three-car collision occurred at 7 a.m., leading to the closure of Curé-Labelle Boulevard in Blainville, Que.
The alleged driver of the stolen vehicle was transported to hospital in critical condition, while the occupants of the other vehicles sustained minor injuries.
According to a statement from the BEI, the incident began Monday at 5:34 p.m. when a 911 call was made about a car theft in Sorel-Tracy, Que., about 80 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers intercepted the vehicle, which then went off the road near Yamaska, Que., about 18 kilometres from Sorel-Tracy.
The driver fled on foot, and officers lost sight of them, the BEI says. The SQ searched for the individual, and at 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a second car was stolen in Yamaska.
The stolen vehicle was found several hours later in Campbell's Bay, a Quebec town on the Ontario border, about 390 kilometres west of Yamaska.
At approximately 6:38 a.m., a third car theft call was made in Campbell's Bay. The police located the vehicle on Highway 50 in Lachute, Que., about 224 kilometres southeast of Campbell's Bay.
Police initiated a pursuit and attempted to use spike strips to stop it, the BEI says.
The fleeing vehicle collided with a patrol car and a second vehicle on Highway 50 at kilometre 288 at approximately 7:07 a.m. About seven minutes later, police decided to halt the pursuit.
But the fleeing driver collided with two other vehicles in Blainville at approximately 7:20 a.m. The driver of the allegedly stolen vehicle remains in hospital in critical condition, the BEI says.
Curé-Labelle Boulevard was closed in both directions, between Céloron Boulevard and 104th Avenue so police and the BEI could investigate.
Collision reconstruction officers from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) were called in to assist the BEI's investigation, and the SPVM will also investigate any potential crimes committed before or during the incident.
The SPVM is assisting the BEI's investigation because the SQ was involved in the event.
The BEI investigates in all cases where a person, other than an officer on duty, dies, suffers serious injury or is injured by a firearm used by a police officer.
Five BEI investigators have been assigned to investigate the circumstances surrounding the intervention. No further information is available at this time, the BEI says.
The BEI asks anyone who may have witnessed the event to contact them via their website.
Written by Isaac Olson