Sask. watchdog investigating Moose Jaw police's role in fatal crash

SIRT is Saskatchewan's independent police oversight organization. (Kirk Fraser/CBC - image credit)
SIRT is Saskatchewan's independent police oversight organization. (Kirk Fraser/CBC - image credit)

Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating the role the Moose Jaw Police Service played in a crash that killed a 31-year-old man.

SIRT, the province's independent police oversight organization, gave some details of the incident in a news release Tuesday.

It said Moose Jaw police got a call late Thursday about a car pursuing the caller's vehicle and driving erratically. The caller also said they had been in a physical altercation with the pursuer.

At approximately 11:47 p.m. CST, an officer in a police car spotted the suspect vehicle, turned on their emergency lights and went to start chasing the suspect, SIRT said. One minute later, that officer reported by radio that the suspect car had crashed on Main Street.

Police called EMS. One of the vehicle's passengers, a 31-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene, SIRT said.

The other occupants, the driver and a second passenger, were taken to hospital for assessment and treatment.

SIRT has deployed a team to begin its investigation of police's actions during the incident. Moose Jaw police are responsible for investigating the suspect driver's actions.

SIRT said it will issue a final report to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending.