NAKUSP — British Columbia's police watchdog is asking the provincial prosecution service to consider charging an RCMP officer after a crash that killed a man in the West Kootenay region last year.
A statement from the Independent Investigations Office says chief civilian director Jessica Berglund determined reasonable grounds exist to believe the officer may have committed driving offences.
The office says on Nov. 25, police spotted a green 2003 Ford F350 pickup truck that had been reported stolen, travelling south on Highway 6 about one kilometre south of Nakusp, B.C.
It says an officer driving a marked police vehicle tried to stop the pickup, but a short time later it crashed into a ditch, killing the driver.
The statement says a female passenger was arrested before being taken to the hospital and later released.
To approve any charges, the office says prosecutors must be satisfied that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction and that prosecution is in the public interest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2025
The Canadian Press
