(file photo)

By Susan McNeil

Moosomin First Nation collision

Vehicle occupants lied about RCMP vehicle colliding with theirs in Moosomin rollover

Jul 4, 2024 | 10:52 AM

Video evidence from an RCMP vehicle, that was alleged to have collided with a suspect vehicle on the Moosomin First Nation near North Battleford, tells a different story than what the vehicle’s occupants claimed.

Despite the claims of the occupants of a black Chevrolet Cruze that was caught speeding on grid road on the First Nation, video evidence shows the police vehicle stopped one kilometre before the Cruze went into a ditch and rolled.

“Earlier that morning, a member of the RCMP attempted a traffic stop on a black Chevrolet Cruze on a grid road on the Moosomin First Nation. The member followed the vehicle and activated his lights, but the car failed to stop. The member deactivated his lights and came to a stop on a roadside approach. Approximately one kilometer from where the member stopped, the Cruze left the road and rolled, resulting in injuries to three of the vehicle’s four occupants,” reads the report.

Because the incident involved police officers and a serious injury, SIRT was given the investigation into the conduct of the police.

Nine civilian witnesses were interviewed along with the driver of the Cruze and the passenger in the front seat.

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Both of the vehicle occupants said that the rollover was caused by a “white truck” hitting their vehicle from behind, which made it leave the road.

“Despite the suggestion that contact with a police vehicle caused the rollover of the Cruze, in-car video from the RCMP vehicle captured the entirety of the incident and conclusively establishes that there was no contact between the two vehicles, and that the vehicles were a significant distance apart,” read the report.

When the rollover happened, the two people in the front seat were wearing seatbelts but the two occupants of the back were not. Both of the back passengers were ejected during the rollover through a back window.

The back passengers were both had “significant, life-altering injuries” and the front passenger had a broken arm and a dislocated elbow. The driver had no serious injuries.

Officers found alcohol in the vehicle afterwards, but the SIRT investigation is not done to determine criminality on behalf of the public. They are focussed on the behaviour of officers.

The RCMP member who was in the police vehicle at the time, was first responding to a call at a house in the community that involved 10 people in a brawl. Two officers responded, including the subject officer who was in a fully marked vehicle.

They did not find the occupants of the house but right after leaving the call, the subject officer saw the Cruze exit a school parking lot at a high rate of speed. The incident was fortunately on a Saturday morning.

The Cruze was clocked driving 134 kim/hr in a marked 80 km zone.

After the Cruze left the school parking lot, it went into the parking lot of a nearby gas bar then quickly drove back onto the road and blew a stop sign.

The subject officer activated their emergency lights but within 30 seconds, turned them off again and reduced their speed and stopped at a road approach. That took less than a minute.

The Cruze was still visible, travelling at a high rate of speed and making a large dust cloud. After about a kilometre, it went into the oncoming lane before swerving back into the right hand ditch, rolling as it went in. It landed on its wheels.

The officer immediately radioed for medical help and then triaged the occupants of the car.

The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) released its report into the May 27, 2023 incident today.

It concluded that police actions had nothing to do with the Cruze’s rollover.

“There is no reasonable basis to conclude that the actions of police caused or contributed to the collision that ultimately led to serious injuries on the part of several of the vehicle’s occupants,” said the report.

susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com