Alberta’s police watchdog has ruled no RCMP officers committed an offence in the death of a 47-year-old woman killed during a high-speed chase outside Edmonton.The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released its findings Thursday, concluding the February 24, 2024 incident was caused by a fleeing suspect driving a stolen U-Haul, not by police conduct.RCMP in Beaumont had tried to stop the U-Haul after linking one of its occupants to a series of thefts. The driver rammed two police vehicles before speeding onto 50 St. into Edmonton, forcing officers to call off the pursuit. Edmonton Police Service’s helicopter Air-1 kept watch from above..As the chase continued, RCMP deployed a spike belt. Several civilian vehicles, including the victim’s Chevrolet Tahoe, drove over it before the U-Haul hit the spikes. Moments later, the driver swerved and plowed into the woman after she pulled over and exited her vehicle, killing her instantly.The U-Haul then crashed head-on into another vehicle, injuring that driver, before coming to rest in a nearby parking lot. The suspect fled the scene on foot..ASIRT reviewed video footage, interviewed witnesses, and examined police procedure. Investigators considered whether deploying the spike belt could amount to criminal negligence causing death but determined the officer acted reasonably given the suspect’s dangerous driving and prior assaults on police vehicles.Acting executive director Matthew Block wrote the use of the device was not “a marked and substantial departure” from what a reasonable officer would have done, and that the suspect alone was responsible for the fatality.ASIRT concluded the woman’s death was tragic but found no grounds for charges against any officer.
