Fatal Highway 401 crash in Whitby investigation still ongoing after 120 days
Published August 28, 2024 at 3:46 pm
The investigation into the police pursuit which resulted in the Highway 401 crash that killed four in the spring is still ongoing.
A U-Haul cargo van was on the move after the driver allegedly robbed an LCBO on Green Road and Highway 2 sometime before 8 p.m. on April 29. An off-duty officer saw the robbery and tried to intervene but police say the suspect pulled a knife and fled in the U-Haul, according to a Durham Police Board update.
The off-duty officer “strategically followed” the U-Haul until marked police cruisers caught up to the chase. Durham Police officers pursued the van down Highway 2 and through several streets.
It was previously reported police followed the van until it entered Highway 401 at Stevenson Road in Oshawa but the new board report said the officers lost sight of the U-Haul until re-establishing visual contact in Oshawa. Six cruisers ultimately joined the chase. Oncoming cars recorded parts of the chase on their dashboard, cameras many of which have been posted on YouTube.
Shortly before they reached Highway 412, the U-Haul slammed into multiple other vehicles. including a sedan and a transport truck. The crash killed three people; three-month-old three-month-old Aditya Vivaan of Ajax, his grandfather Manivannan Srinivasapillai, 60, and his grandmother Mahalakshmi Ananthakrishnan, 55.
The grandparents were visiting their newborn grandchild from India for the first time. They had only been in the country for two days. Vivaan’s father, Gokulnath Manivannan, 33, and mother Ashwitha Jawahar, 27, survived with serious injuries.
He told the Canadian Press he was “in agony” after the crash but the pain of losing his son and parents is worse than any physical injuries.
The U-Haul driver, 21, was killed and his 38-year-old passenger was seriously injured.
As the police were involved in the lead-up to the crash, the Special Investigations Unit came in to review the situation. They’ve identified two police officers who are now under investigation as well as 19 witness officers and 36 civilian witnesses.
Both officers under investigation refused to submit their notes or conduct an interview, as is their legal right.
The SIU has collected more than 100 videos of the crash and has to review them all. This includes in-car camera footage, drone footage, body-worn camera footage, Ministry of Transportation footage and civilian recordings.
While the investigation continues, the SIU is required to provide a public update after 120 days. “Due to the volume of evidence the Unit has had to collect, process and consider, the SIU continues its work to ensure a thorough investigation is completed,” the SIU declared Wednesday.