Surrey, B.C., police officer cleared in crash en route to scene that killed jogger

SURREY — British Columbia’s independent police watchdog has cleared a Surrey, B.C., officer of criminal wrongdoing in a crash last year where a woman was killed.

The Independent Investigations Office says in a report that the crash happened on Dec. 14 in the “early evening” when the officer was rushing to the scene of a reported domestic violence case.

The unmarked police car had activated its siren and emergency lights, and data shows the vehicle was travelling up to 121 kilometres an hour.

The report says that the vehicle hit the woman who jogged onto the road, with one witness telling the investigation that the officer likely had “less than a second” to react.

The victim’s family members told investigators that the woman was deaf in her left ear and partially deaf in her right ear.

Chief Civilian Director Jessica Berglund says in her report that the officer had to balance the possible harm suffered by the victim in the domestic violence case and the risks of driving above the speed limit.

Berglund says that while the victim in the domestic violence case may have left the scene and was safe based on updated information received by dispatch, police were not sure if anyone else was still in danger and the officers were responding under Code 3, or high priority.

The report also says that the driver of a civilian vehicle at the crash scene described the pedestrian as “moving quickly” onto the road, while the passenger told investigators that they could have struck the woman if they hadn’t slowed for police.

“Ultimately, the evidence shows that even if the police vehicle had been travelling at the speed limit, this tragic accident could still have occurred,” Berglund says, noting the pedestrian was wearing dark clothing and driving conditions were dark and wet.

“While it can be said that it might have been prudent … to have reduced speed once it was reported that the apparent victim of the initial assault had left the scene, the decision made by the (driving officer) based on his apparent overall assessment of the situation were not so unreasonable as to amount to criminality.”

The Independent Investigations Office says it will not be referring the case to provincial prosecutors for possible charges.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2026.

The Canadian Press