Durham’s police chief says he was planning to give officers additional pursuit training before two cops from his force were charged following a chase that ended in the deaths of four people.
Durham Regional Police Chief Peter Moreira made the comments late Friday after Sgt. Richard Flynn and Const. Brandon Hamilton were each charged with three counts each of criminal negligence causing death and two counts each of criminal negligence causing bodily harm for their alleged roles in a multi-vehicle crash last April 29.
The charges stem from a chase in which officers pursued a liquor store robbery suspect who was heading in the wrong direction along a stretch of Hwy. 401 in Whitby. Two visitors from India and their infant grandchild, as well as the 21-year-old suspect, died in the collision.
“In January, well before this incident, we had actually planned for this year to include an extra day of training just centered around police vehicle operations, in response to all of the rise we saw in pursuits,” said Moreira.
Both officers were suspended with pay and assigned administrative duties, said Moreira. The allegations against the officers have not been tested in court.
Recommended video
The chief said now that the province’s police watchdog, the SIU, has laid the charges, an internal investigation by members of his force will follow.
“We’re held accountable for our actions,” said Moreira. “Whether your concern is centered on a suspected criminal who fled from the police or concern with the officers … we must all have respect for our justice system and be patient for this process to unfold.”
Killed in the crash were three-month old Aditya Vivaan; his grandparents, Manivannan Srinivasapillai, 60, and Mahalakshmi Ananthakrishnan, 55; and Gagandeep Singh, 21, who was driving the U-Haul cube van that was the subject of the chase.
“No police officer goes to work thinking something like this is going to happen,” said the chief. “We prepare and train and are making hundreds if not thousands of decisions every day. We’re accountable for all of those decisions.”