SIU reveals new info on probe of Hwy 401 wrong-way crash
Ontario's police watchdog shared more information Wednesday on the status of its ongoing investigation into a wrong-way police car chase on the Highway 401 that resulted in the death of four people, including an infant, in April.
In a release, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said that the two officers who are being investigated have not agreed to an interview or provided their duty notes.
On its website, the SIU says this is within their legal right, as once an officer becomes the focus of an investigation, they're given the same opportunity as citizens under the Charter to protect themselves from self-incrimination.
The agency also said it's currently interviewing 19 officers, known as witness officials, who were involved in the collision. In May, days after the crash, the SIU said only four witness officials were designated.
The SIU is also speaking with civilian witnesses. So far, it said 36 have been identified and interviewed. It also says it has more than 100 videos related to the crash gathered from cars, drones, body-worn cameras, the Ministry of Transportation and civilians.
The April 29 crash happened after a police chase that began with an alleged liquor store robbery in Bowmanville, Ont., in the regional municipality of Clarington. Police pursued the suspect as he drove the wrong way on Highway 401 in Whitby, about 50 kilometres east of Toronto.
That chase ended in a fatal collision that involved at least six vehicles, according to the SIU, and devastated an entire family. The crash killed Aditya Vivaan, who was three-months-old, and his grandparents Manivannan Srinivasapillai and Mahalakshmi Ananthakrishnan, who were visiting from India.
Vivaan's parents and residents of Ajax, Gokulnath Manivannan, 33, and his wife Ashwitha Jawahar, 27, survived the crash with serious injuries.
The SIU said Wednesday a 27-year-old woman was released from hospital. The SIU confirmed Wednesday Jawahar has been released from hospital.
The robbery suspect, a 21-year-old man, was also killed. A 38-year-old man who was in the suspect U-Haul van remains in hospital, the SIU confirmed Wednesday
Seven investigators, two forensic investigators and one collision reconstructionist have been assigned to the investigation.
