The provincial SIU has ruled there was no criminal wrongdoing by Guelph Police during an incident where the driver of a pickup truck they were following died in a multi-vehicle collision last fall.
The collision happened at the intersection of Clair Road and Victoria Road South on the early morning of Sept. 23.
Guelph police officers were attempting to locate the driver of the pickup after OPP contacted local police to ask them to do a welfare check on an individual. Wanted on several charges, the person was considered to be of "unsound mind," according to the SIU report issued Friday.
"It was also reported that he was in possession of a firearm and had threatened to harm himself via ‘suicide by cop’," says the report.
Phone pings sent police to the area of Victoria Road/York Road where the truck was spotted driving southbound on Victoria Road around Arkell Road.
Two police cruisers followed the pickup truck which sped away from them. He eventually ran a red light at Clair Road and hit another car in the wrong lane.
The pick-up truck continued southwards and struck another pick-up truck – a Honda Ridgeline – before it continued south and flipped onto its roof. Investigation later revealed the complainant's speed at time of impact was 124 km/h.
Drivers of the other two vehicles "luckily" escaped serious injury.
"The Complainant suffered catastrophic injuries in the collision and was pronounced deceased at the scene" from "blunt impact head trauma".
The two officers pursuing the vehicle were the subject officers of the investigation.
"On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the subject officials committed a criminal offence in connection with the Complainant’s death," SIU director Julian Martino said.
"They had reason to believe that the Complainant, wanted on an arrest warrant, was in possession of a firearm and a danger to himself and others. In the circumstances, his apprehension was both lawful and imperative in the interests of public safety."
"Regrettably, it appears the Complainant caught on to the officers’ presence behind him, accelerated to dangerous speeds, and blew through a red light en route to the collision. I am unable to reasonably conclude that the subject officials erred when they chose to pursue the Complainant."
