A crash involving two civilian vehicles and a police vehicle in 91原创 won't be investigated further by B.C.'s civilian police watchdog, because no one suffered serious injuries.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) announced on Thursday, July 31 that it has completed its investigation of an April 10 crash in which several civilians and two police officers were taken to hospital.
The incident began as an investigation into an armed robbery in the 2500-block of 160 Street in Surrey on April 9.
According to the Surrey Police Service, at around 12:45 p.m. on that day, a man and woman allegedly ran off with a shopping cart full of tools from a store. When a staff member confronted them, the man allegedly pulled out a handgun.
The next day, April 10, a blue Toyota Matrix that was believed to be driven by the robbery suspects was spotted in 91原创, and several police units, including the RCMP Strike Force Target Team, the Auto Crime Target Team, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, the 91原创 RCMP, and a police helicopter, were mobilized.
According to the IIO account, officers with the CFSEU and the Integrated Police Dog Services were following the Toyota Matrix east on 36 Avenue just before 2:30 p.m.
At the intersection with 200 Street, a civilian in a Chrysler Sebring heading north on 200 Street was involved in a crash with a CFSEU vehicle. Shortly after that, the CFSEU vehicle also had "contact" with a Dodge Ram.
The drivers of both the Sebring and the Ram were taken to hospital, as were two officers from the CFSEU vehicle, and the Toyota Matrix was stopped nearby. Four occupants in the vehicle suffered minor injuries while being arrested and they were also taken to hospital for treatment.
The IIO began looking into the incident on July 17, when the driver of the Sebring reported he might have sustained injuries that meet the agency's threshold of "serious harm."
The IIO looks into all deaths or serious injuries involving interactions with police in B.C., ranging from police shootings to injuries during arrests to car crashes.
However, in this case, the IIO collected and reviewed medical evidence, and the chief civilian director, Jessica Berglund, has determined that none of the injuries resulting from either the crashes or the arrests meets the threshold of serious harm.