Police not to blame in crash: IIU

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This article was published 03/05/2023 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province’s police oversight agency said a fatal collision that happened after an attempted Winnipeg police traffic stop last spring wasn’t caused by officers.

The Independent Investigation Unit were notified of the May 30, 2022 incident the same day. A vehicle fled from a traffic stop and hit a tree at 419 Truro St.

The male driver and two passengers, both females, were removed from the SUV, and paramedics rushed them to Health Sciences Centre.

One of the passengers was pronounced dead, while the driver and other passenger were seriously injured. Police previously said the surviving passenger was a 16-year-old girl. The IIU did not identify the woman who died, but family members previously identified her as Victoria Lindell, 22.

Lindell — a mother of two sons who lived in Swan River — was visiting relatives in Winnipeg when she was involved in the crash, her mother, Anita Umpherville, previously told the Free Press.

Police said a suspect was arrested at a home in the William Whyte area on March 24 after a warrant was issued in January.

Christian Grant Patchinose, 28, was charged with offences such as impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death.

Patchinose and Lindell were cousins, Umpherville said.

The IIU interviewed 11 witnesses, the driver and surviving passenger, seven Winnipeg fire paramedics and two police officers, and reviewed various police documents and reports.

The agency found no evidence to suggest any officer contributed to the collision.

— Staff