NANAIMO — The province’s civilian-led police oversight agency is calling for more witnesses or dash-cam footage of an attempted late-night traffic stop and subsequent crash.
RCMP officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop of a motorcycle in Nanaimo’s downtown area around 11:40 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, according to a statement from the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.
Police report the motorcycle did not stop for officers and eventually crashed into a taxi near the Victoria Rd. and Milton St. intersection.
Both the rider and passenger on the motorcycle were injured in the crash.
The IIO was notified by Nanaimo RCMP of the incident, and an investigation is underway to determine whether the actions or inactions of officers played a role in the incident.
A request is being made by the IIO for any additional information.
“The IIO is asking any person with relevant information about the incident to please contact the Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website,” the statement read.
Investigations are automatically launched when an injury “meets the threshold of serious harm as defined by the Police Act” or when a death occurs, and “if there is a connection between the serious harm or death and police,” the IIO states.
A closer look at police-involved incidents is initiated regardless of whether there are allegations of wrongdoing or not.
The results of an investigation will be published at a later date, and will determine whether any charges should be laid against officers involved.
A vast majority of IIO investigations do not result in charges against officers, but the Office acts as an oversight body for police action.
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