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Brutality CanadaPolice Brutality O Canada |
Aaron Sands
July 4, 2001
The Ottawa Citizen
Stephane Drouin, was beginning to turn his life around when he died, his brother says.
Lashing out in anger, the family of a 19-year-old Gatineau man who died after a high-speed police chase through busy downtown streets on Canada Day is vowing to take action against the Ottawa police.
Stephane Drouin, father of a one-year-old boy, was taken off life support Monday, a day after he crashed a pickup truck that was reported stolen into several utility poles while trying to flee police.
"There was no reason for that kind of chase," Mr. Drouin's brother, Ronald, 20, said yesterday. "They could have just followed him and waited until he stopped somewhere. They killed my brother. He was not here when I woke up this morning. I won't see him tomorrow. I'll never see my brother's face again. He was too young to die. ... We will fight for justice."
Ronald Drouin said miscommunication led to his brother's death on what started as a happy day. He said Stephane, who did not have a driver's licence, borrowed a friend's pickup, as he often did, early Sunday morning. "He told me he was going to Ottawa to celebrate Canada Day with friends," he said.
According to Mr. Drouin, the girlfriend of the truck's owner woke up on Sunday, noticed the truck missing and, unaware it had been borrowed, phoned police. After receiving the call around 12:15 p.m., Gatineau police alerted surrounding forces of the stolen blue Dodge Dakota Sport pickup truck.
According to his family, Stephane Drouin had consumed two or three beers during the day. He was driving with three passengers -- his friend Chris McBride, 19, and two teenage girls, 15 and 16 -- when police tried to pull him over around 5 p.m.
At speeds exceeding 100 kilometres an hour, police pursued the truck east on Rideau Street, over the Cummings Bridge and onto Montreal Road, where Mr. Drouin lost control and crashed.
For the second time in as many weeks, the province's Special Investigations Unit has been called in to probe the death of a suspect during a police pursuit. Theft suspect Ronald Aube, 38, died June 22 after being run over by a police van.
Ronald Drouin said his brother had a habit of trouble, but broke it with the birth of his son, Patrick, a year ago. He recently started a job at an Ottawa roofing company and was saving money for an apartment where he could live with his longtime girlfriend, Vicky Charlebois, and their son.
"He won't get the chance now," Mr. Drouin said. "He was a decent kid. Life was starting to be good for him. And now it's over."
A funeral is being planned for next week.
Karina Roman, with files from Matthew Sekeres,
Kelly Cryderman and Jean-Francois Bertrand
The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday 3 July 2001
The 19-year-old driver of a speeding truck that crashed trying to elude police Sunday died yesterday at the Ottawa Hospital's General campus.
The Dodge Dakota Sport Truck that the Ottawa man was driving had crashed through a decorative light post, a hydro pole and a traffic light pole before coming to a stop at the intersection of Montreal Road and Montgomery Street.
This is the second time in 11 days that a man has died after being pursued by Ottawa police and the second time the province's Special Investigations Unit has been called in to investigate. The SIU investigates all incidents involving police and injuries to civilians.
The male driver had been on life support, said Rose Hong, a spokeswoman for the SIU. His identity is not being released until police notify next of kin. The exact cause of death will be determined after an autopsy.
Sunday's incident took place around 5 p.m. as roughly 200 Canada Day revellers watched from a sidewalk across the street. Three other passengers, females aged 15 and 16, and a 19-year-old male were treated for minor injuries at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital.
"There were four people in the car, three passengers. I saw two of the passengers get out. When they got out they could hardly walk, they were just staggering everywhere," said eyewitness David Gilbert, who lives in a nearby building. "I saw the driver being pulled out by three cops and put on a stretcher with an oxygen mask."
According to witness Scott McNish, 28, the truck, which had Quebec licence plates, sped over Cummings Bridge, going in excess of 100 kilometres an hour, and went through the intersection at River Road and Montreal Road. On Montreal Road, just in front of the Eastview Shopping Centre, the truck hit a black, old-fashioned street lamp, then a wooden hydro pole before slamming into a traffic light at Montreal Road and Montgomery Street.
Witnesses also said the intersection filled with smoke and police yelled for people to stand back because of the potential danger of live wires coming into contact with gasoline. Inside the truck, the airbag had exploded and was covered in blood.
Reports say the truck was stolen from the Gatineau area. Gatineau police confirm a Dodge Dakota was reported stolen from Rue Clericy at 12:15 p.m. Sunday.
The SIU dispatched five investigators, including two forensic identification specialists to the accident scene, Ms. Hong said.
The SIU is also investigating an incident on June 22, in which an Ottawa police van ran over and killed a man on a bicycle who was allegedly fleeing an attempted break-in in the Byward Market. Ms. Hong refused to say whether there should be cause for concern that one police force is being investigated by the SIU for two deaths within two weeks. She said each investigation is different and is approached without bias.
"Even if we are called in to investigate 10 incidents involving the same police force, that doesn't mean there was any wrongdoing on their part," said Ms. Hong. "That's why we investigate, to find out exactly what happened and to clarify for the community so that they continue to have confidence in their police force."
Kelly Cryderman and Jean-Francois Bertrand
Monday 2 July 2001
The Ottawa Citizen
The driver of a truck speeding away from police was clinging to life last night after a spectacular crash involving a street light, a hydro pole and a traffic light pole.
For the second time in 10 days, the province's Special Investigations Unit has been called in to investigate Ottawa police. The SIU investigates all incidents involving police and injuries to civilians.
Witness Scott McNish, 28, a coach bus driver for 417 Bus Lines, was on his break and had parked his bus in the Eastview Shopping Centre. He had just got out for a walk when he heard the sirens at about 5 p.m.
He said a new-looking blue Dodge Dakota Sport Truck sped over Cummings Bridge, going east in excess of 100 kilometres an hour, and went through the intersection at River Road and Montreal Road. On Montreal Road, just in front of Eastview Shopping Centre, the truck hit a black, old-fashioned-looking street lamp, then a wooden hydro pole before careening into a traffic light at Montreal Road and Montgomery Street.
The hydro pole flew upwards and came down crooked, but still propped up by its wire, Mr. McNish said.The street light and traffic light were completely knocked down, setting off a spray of electric sparks, he said.
The entire intersection filled with smoke, said John Dastous, 19, who works at a nearby Petro Canada.
"You could hear the lines popping," Mr. Dastous said.
There were three police cars following the truck, which had Quebec licence plates.
Mr. McNish said he ran over to try to help the victims.
"I tried to approach the vehicle, but the cops wouldn't let me get anywhere near it," he said. "They yelled, 'Stand back! Live wires!' "
The truck was so crushed, it was hard to tell whether it was a truck or car, Mr. McNish said.
Its driver was taken away on a stretcher to the General campus of the Ottawa Hospital, said SIU spokesperson Rose Hall.
He was suffering life-threatening injuries, said Ottawa police Insp. Terry Charbot.
Inside the truck, the airbag had exploded and was covered in splotches of blood.
"There was blood everywhere," Mr. McNish said.
A young male passenger wearing a white covering on his head was handcuffed and put into a police car, then taken away by ambulance, he said. -excuse me, Officer, but what is going on here?-ed.
Two female passengers in the back seat of the truck didn't appear to be injured, but seemed in shock, Mr. McNish said. They were also helped into the ambulance, he said.
The three passengers were taken to the Queensway-Carleton hospital. Their injuries are non-life-threatening, according to the police.
Mr. McNish said the driver and three passengers looked like they were in their late teens or early 20s.
The SIU dispatched five investigators, including two forensic identification specialists, to the accident scene, Ms. Hall said.
An SIU team was also called in June 22 to investigate an incident in which an Ottawa police van ran over and killed a man on a bicycle who was allegedly fleeing an attempted break-in in the Byward Market.
Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law.
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This page created July 8, 2001
