A teen who was struck by a police cruiser early Saturday in Maple Ridge remains in hospital.
The 17-year-old was hit around 12:30 a.m. while crossing Lougheed Highway, just east of 216th Street.
He was seriously injured in the crash, according to B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office.
Owen Court, spokesperson, said the police car did not have its lights and sirens activated at the time of the accident.
“They were not driving at Code Three, which means they did not have their emergency equipment on,” he added.
Court did not know if the officers involved were responding to a call or on routine patrol when the teen was struck.
According to the RCMP, two Ridge Meadows officers were traveling east on Lougheed Hwy. in separate cars when they saw the boy.
The first RCMP cruiser passed the teen, but he was struck by the second vehicle.
Court said it is too early in the investigation to determine whether the teen was intoxicated.
As of Monday, the teen was reported to be in stable condition.
“His injuries met the definition of serious, which is why we were called in,” explained Court.
The Independent Investigations Office was created in July 2012 to investigate incidents where police cause death or serious harm.
The stretch of Lougheed Hwy. where the teen was struck has been the subject of complaints before.
A petition was started last year after a 14-year-old boy, on the way home from school, was hit by a pickup truck.
In 2010, two pedestrians were killed in two separate accidents on the same stretch.
The District of Maple Ridge said Monday that improvements to that section of highway are coming. A multi-use path will be built alongside the highway between Laity and 216th St.
The province has also agreed to fund pedestrian improvements to the intersection of Laity and Lougheed as part of this project.
There is no word on whether another crosswalk will be added, however.
Lougheed Hwy. is a provincial responsibility.
