Ontario’s police watchdog has dropped its investigation into Halton police after a highway traffic stop led to a fatal collision in January.
Based on video footage from the scene, Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Director Joseph Martino determined the file should be closed and cleared police of any wrongdoing, spokesperson Monica Hudon said in a statement Tuesday.
Police stopped a pickup truck for speeding westbound on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) near Burloak Drive in Burlington, Ont. at about 3:45 a.m. Jan. 29. The truck was travelling upwards of 150 km/h, the SIU said.
The driver of the truck pulled over on the side of the highway for about two minutes, but before the officers approached, the truck sped off toward the off-ramp to Brant Street, said the SIU. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed.
The driver was unharmed. One passenger, a 25-year-old man, died and two other passengers, a 45-year-old man and 24-year-old woman, were injured.
“It was apparent on this record that neither officer did anything that could conceivably attract criminal sanction in connection with this matter,” the SIU’s statement said, in reference to the officers involved with pulling over the truck.
Halton Regional Police Service said no charges have been laid and the investigation is ongoing.