B.C. police watchdog recommends charges against Mountie after fatal crash

Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this provided image.

A British Columbia police oversight agency is recommending charges against an RCMP officer who was pursuing a suspected stolen vehicle when the driver crashed and died.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. says there are reasonable grounds to believe the Mountie “may have committed driving offences in relation to the use of their vehicle” during the incident.

The announcement Friday followed a nine-month investigation by the police watchdog into the deadly crash near Nakusp in November 2024.

A woman, who was a passenger in the suspected stolen pickup truck, was also injured in the collision.

The crash occurred around 3 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2024, when a Nakusp RCMP officer in a marked police vehicle spotted the green 2003 Ford F350 on Highway 6, about one kilometre south of the community.

“The officer attempted to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle reportedly accelerated before driving off the road into the ditch,” the B.C. RCMP said in a statement following the incident.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while the passenger was arrested, taken to hospital and later released.

The IIO was notified and opened an investigation into the officer’s conduct in the attempted traffic stop.

Jessica Berglund, the agency’s chief civilian director, reviewed the evidence related to the incident and has forwarded a report to provincial prosecutors recommending charges against the officer, according to the statement Friday.

The office did not specify the charges it is recommending in the case. The agency investigates all police-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing by police.

“In order to approve any charges, the B.C. Prosecution Service must be satisfied that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO, and that prosecution be required in the public interest,” the statement said.

“While the matter is with Crown, the IIO will not be making any additional comment about the facts of this case.”