The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) is looking for witnesses to the fatal motor vehicle crash that claimed the life of corrections officer Gabe Choi.

In particular, the IIO is trying to find the driver of an eastbound container truck who was passing near the Lickman Road overpass on Highway 1 between 4:20 and 4:25 a.m. on Dec. 29, just before the collision. Investigators believe that person witnessed events leading up to the incident and may also have dashcam footage.

At approximately 4:00 am, the Upper Fraser Valley detachment of the RCMP received a call about a vehicle travelling the wrong way on Highway 1 near Laidlaw. A Chilliwack RCMP officer spotted the vehicle travelling westbound in the eastbound lanes near Annis Road and police unsuccessfully deployed a spike belt trying to stop it.

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Police continued their pursuit, and approximately 700 metres from the Lickman Road overpass, the vehicle collided head-on with Choi’s and caught fire.

While two people from that vehicle died at the scene, Choi was taken to hospital where he died later that day.

The IIO is asking any person who saw, heard or recorded the incident, particularly the driver of the truck described above, to contact the IIO Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.

The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: eric.welsh@theprogress.com

Chilliwack Progress

Gabe Choi, a corrections officer, was killed in a crash by a car going the wrong way in the eastbound lanes on Highway 1 in Chilliwack on Dec. 29, 2020. (Shane MacKichan photo)