N.S. RCMP won’t be charged in fatal Hammonds Plains crash: SiRT

SiRT is investigating a fatal crash in Hammonds Plains, N.S. (Source: Jim Kvammen/CTV News Atlantic)

RCMP officers will not be charged in connection with a fatal crash in Hammonds Plains, N.S., in February.

Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team started investigating the collision on Feb. 26, after receiving a referral from the RCMP.

SiRT says police were trying to arrest a man in connection with intimate partner violence and violent offences alleged to have happened on Feb. 25.

According to SiRT’s report, the man was facing the following charges:

Police received 911 calls warning that the man was “in a rage,” high on drugs, and had left in a vehicle.

SiRT says police tried to track the man down, but their efforts weren’t successful. They spoke to him over the phone and he indicated he would turn himself in, but SiRT says he failed to do so, so police prepared a warrant for the man’s arrest.

The next day, on Feb. 26, SiRT says police received a complaint that the man had assaulted and threatened his domestic partner at a hotel in downtown Halifax. Police were told the man was impaired, may have access to firearms, and may be travelling towards Tantallon, N.S.

According to SiRT’s report, police determined the man’s location using information from social media, and tracked him to Hammonds Plains.

SiRT says three police vehicles followed the man in his truck, which turned onto Glen Arbour Way. The man, who was travelling at a high rate of speed, failed to negotiate a turn and crashed into a utility pole, according to the report.

The 22-year-old Bedford, N.S., man died at the scene.

An autopsy determined the man’s cause of death to be “multiple blunt force trauma” and deemed it an accident. SiRT also notes the man was not wearing a seatbelt.

Blood toxicology found the presence of alcohol and drugs, including cocaine, according to SiRT’s report.

SiRT says it concluded its investigation on Sept. 4, noting there were delays awaiting expert reports. The final report was released on Tuesday.

SiRT has determined there are no grounds to believe the RCMP officers committed a criminal offence in connection with the crash and no charges will be laid.

SiRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, whether or not there is an allegation of wrongdoing.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.