The BC Prosecution Service says no charges have been approved against a Surrey RCMP member involved in an attempted traffic stop of a suspected impaired driver in the Guildford area early last year.
On Jan. 7, 2020, the suspect driver refused to stop for the officer and ended up in a single-vehicle rollover that led to serious injuries for the driver, according to a BC Prosecution Service news release Tuesday.
The incident was investigated by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) and Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe that an officer may have committed offences in relation to the pursuit of the fleeing vehicle.
However, “in this case, the BCPS has concluded that the available evidence does not meet the BCPS’s charge assessment standard,” the news release says. “The BCPS is not able to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer committed any offence in relation to the incident. As a result, no charges have been approved.”
The release adds: “In order to maintain confidence in the integrity of the criminal justice system, a Clear Statement explaining the reasons for not approving charges is made public by the BCPS in cases where the IIO has investigated the conduct of police officers and forwarded a report for charge assessment.”
