Police behaviour did not contribute to the death of a man in a three-wheeled vehicle crash near Canada Place in Vancouver last month, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. The IIO was called in after the Sept. 11 crash, which took place when Vancouver Police Department officers attempted to speak to the man in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, according to a statement issued by the office Wednesday. The man was “believed to be involved in a police investigation,” the IIO said, adding that he drove away from the scene and was “involved in a collision a short distance away.” Images from the scene showed a Polaris Slingshot—a three-wheeled hybrid between a sports car and a motorcycle—on its side next to a damaged SUV. At the time, a witness told CTV News she was driving up to the Fairmont Hotel when she saw two police officers standing in front of her car, blocking access to Canada Place. She then saw the Slingshot speed past, and officers gave chase. She said the driver attempted to pass between two vehicles, but ended up getting stuck between them. “The car flipped over completely, and the guy passed out,” she said. “It was so loud, everyone was screaming. It was a really bad scene.” Paramedics and firefighters responded and the man was taken to hospital, where he died from his injuries, according to the IIO. “The chief civilian director has reviewed the evidence collected by IIO investigators—including video footage, police reports, radio transmissions and medical documentation—and has determined that there is no connection between police actions or inaction and the man’s death,” the office said in its statement. The IIO is the civilian agency tasked with investigating all cases involving police officers in B.C. that result in death or serious harm to a member of the public, regardless of whether there is an allegation of wrongdoing on the part of police. The office said it has concluded its investigation into the crash.
