BC RCMP officer could face charges after striking pedestrians in Revelstoke

B.C.’s police watchdog agency is asking prosecutors to consider criminal charges against an RCMP officer who struck two pedestrians in a Revelstoke crosswalk last year.

The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia said Wednesday it believes the off-duty RCMP officer may have committed an offence in the collision that sent a man and woman to hospital.

The accident occurred around 4:35 p.m. on November 5, 2023, when the unnamed officer drove through the intersection of Fourth Street and Campbell Avenue in the downtown area, striking the victims in a crosswalk.

Both victims were taken to hospital for treatment of their injuries.

The police watchdog, which investigates all incidents involving police that result in serious injury or death in British Columbia, whether or not there are allegations of police wrongdoing, says medical records show one of the victims’ injuries met the threshold for “serious harm” as defined by the Police Act.

Under the law, “serious harm” is an injury that may result in death, disfigurement or substantial loss of mobility or function of a limb, organ or the body as a whole.

Jessica Berglund, the IIO’s chief civilian director, reviewed the evidence in the case and “determined that there are reasonable grounds to believe the officer may have committed a violation in connection with the use of his vehicle,” the agency said in a statement announcing the conclusion of its investigation.

It is now up to the BC Prosecution Service to decide whether or not to approve the charges against the officer.

To do this, prosecutors must first be satisfied that there is a strong likelihood of conviction based on the evidence and must believe that prosecution is in the public interest.

“While the matter is in the hands of the Crown, the IIO will not be making any further comment on the facts of this case,” the watchdog said.