SUV kills teen after police chase

BRETT BUNDALE

The Gazette

Friday, August 01, 2008

A tragic accident late Wednesday night following an abandoned police chase left a 15-year-old boy dead and the mourning community of Kahnawake with many unanswered questions.

"Could this have been avoided?" asked David Lahache, acting public relations officer for the Kahnawake peacekeepers. "If he (the suspect) had seen a Mohawk peacekeeper's car, would he have stopped? These are questions that will have to be answered."

The teen, who was riding his bike along the Mohawk Trail, was hit by an SUV that had been the target of a chase with the Roussillon police moments earlier.

A 25-year-old man was expected to be arraigned yesterday at the Longueuil courthouse, on charges of dangerous driving causing death, Lahache said.

Roussillon police began the chase Wednesday night at about 10:30 after the suspect failed to pull over following a traffic violation on Highway 132 in Ste. Catherine, Roussillion police spokesperson René Fleury said. The chase was quickly abandoned and officers lost sight of the vehicle as it entered the Kahnawake reserve, Fleury said.

"There was a chase, but they were given orders to stop less than 30 seconds later," Fleury said. He could not comment on why the chase was abandoned.

The Sûreté du Québec's accident reconstruction unit was called in at the request of the peacekeepers, Lahache said.

It remains unclear whether the police chase that led to the tragic accident will be investigated.