BC’s police watchdog has been called in following a crash in the Comox Valley that sent a person to the hospital following a police pursuit.
The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIOBC) will be looking into the incident, which occurred on July 9th just after 12:17 p.m.
According to the RCMP, an officer from the Comox Valley detachment was dispatched to a traffic complaint near Bridges Road and Rennison Road, on Headquarters Road.
Police say the officer was driving northbound on Headquarters when they spotted a speeding vehicle travelling in the opposite direction, north of Bridges Road.
They claim the Comox Valley RCMP officer then made a U-turn, pursuing the suspect’s vehicle.
Shortly afterward, they spotted the suspect’s vehicle after it had collided with a utility pole to the right side of the roadway.
No other vehicles were involved in the incident.
The RCMP say the officer found the vehicle unoccupied and located an individual in a ditch a few metres from the collision. They did not say in their statement if the person was the driver of the vehicle.
The person was taken to hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries.
While RCMP are investigating the cause of the collision, the IIOBC will look into whether police actions contributed to the individual’s injuries.
The RCMP say they will not be releasing any more information on the incident, as IIOBC is investigating.
