The B.C. Criminal Justice Branch has decided not to lay charges against a police officer after investigating a Dec. 2, 2012, incident in which a motorcyclist lost control and slid into the officer’s vehicle.
The man had been speeding and was not wearing a helmet when Campbell River RCMP attempted to pull him over. He was seriously hurt.
Charges levelled against the motorcyclist include dangerous driving, having care and control of a vehicle while impaired, and driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08.
The branch’s decision is based on a report by the fledgling Independent Investigations Office of B.C., a civilian-led group that becomes involved when people die or are injured in situations involving the police.
The Independent Investigations Office found that the crash occurred after a police vehicle stopped while straddling the lane in which the oncoming motorcycle was travelling. The officer was responding to information that a speeding motorcycle had failed to stop for police.
The motorcycle was reported to have been going up to 124 kilometres in a 50-km/h zone.
The officer said he ended up straddling the lane when he was trying to avoid the motorcycle, which he believed to be “playing chicken.” He said he was trying to move off the roadway but stopped when the motorcycle appeared to swerve.
The branch found the officer could have acted differently, but that no charge was merited.
