Vancouver police cleared of wrongdoing after fatal motorcycle crash

A 21-year-old man died after crashing his motorcycle in East Vancouver on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

A Vancouver police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing after a 21-year-old man crashed his motorcycle and died last year following an attempted traffic stop.

British Columbia’s police watchdog concluded its investigation Wednesday into the fatal collision, determining the officer was not to blame for the man’s death.

“The officer had lawful grounds to attempt a traffic stop, and the motorcyclist’s unfortunate decision not to stop is not the responsibility of police,” the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said in a statement.

Police attempted to stop the motorcyclist for failing to display a licence plate shortly after 9 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2024.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/motorcyclist-dies-after-attempted-traffic-stop-in-vancouver-iio-called-in/

The motorcyclist did not stop when police tried to pull him over near the intersection of East Hastings Street and Victoria Drive, according to statements from the IIO and the Vancouver Police Department.

“The attempt to stop was discontinued soon after,” the IIO said.

A short time later, the motorcyclist collided with a parked vehicle near East 8th Avenue and Victoria Drive. The rider was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police oversight agency says it collected statements from civilian witnesses, police vehicle data and surveillance video from a nearby home to determine “police were no longer attempting to stop the motorcycle” at the time of the crash.

“There are no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer may have committed an offence,” the agency concluded.

The IIO investigates all police-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there are any allegations of wrongdoing on the part of officers.