The Independent Investigations Office confirmed that its investigators have been deployed to a motor vehicle incident near Penticton where one person has died and another is in critical condition.
The IIO initially reported both of the people involved in the motorcycle incident had died, but have since amended that information.
According to the RCMP, at approximately 9:10 p.m. on Saturday an officer on patrol was travelling south on Eastside Road between Penticton and Okanagan Falls. The officer reportedly observed a motorcycle travelling north at a high rate of speed in what is a 60 kilometre per hour speed zone. The officer activated his emergency overhead lights and turned his vehicle around. The officer lost sight of the motorcycle and continued north for approximately one kilometre. At that point, he located the motorcycle, which had crashed. One male believed to be the operator died as a result of his injuries and a female believed to be his passenger remains in hospital in critical but stable condition.
The IIO was notified shortly after the collision and asserted jurisdiction. An investigative team, including a traffic reconstructionist, has been deployed to the scene. The IIO preliminary investigation will include determining if this incident was officer-related.
