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Police watchdog not recommending charges in attempted Sicamous traffic stop

Female passenger died in May 2021 incident after vehicle police tried to stop went off road
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The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is not recommending charges in an attempted traffic stop by RCMP on May 20, 2021, after which a woman died in a single-vehicle car crash. (Black Press Media file photo)

Charges are not being recommended against police officers who deployed a spike belt in an attempted traffic stop near Sicamous that preceded the death of a female passenger.

The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO BC) announced Thursday, Nov. 18, that it had reviewed available evidence related to the incident and determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe an offence was committed by police.

Around 4 p.m. on May 20, 2021 a light grey Honda Civic travelling east on Highway 1 near Salmon Arm was allegedly seen passing multiple vehicles, including an unmarked police vehicle, according to the BC RCMP.

The officer in the unmarked vehicle tried to stop the Honda but the driver allegedly failed to stop. Sicamous RCMP tried to stop the vehicle with a spike belt near the Bruhn Bridge. The Honda went off the road and came to a rest nearby, according to police.

Paramedics and an air ambulance responded, but the female passenger in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The male driver was transported to hospital with serious injuries.

The IIO said the matter remains before the courts and there will be no further comment at this time.

Read more: Watchdog probes Shuswap RCMP attempted traffic stop that ends in fatal crash


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