A new video has surfaced showing a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 moments prior to a fatal crash that killed four people, including an infant and their grandparents.
The pursuit began after a robbery near Green Road and Highway 2 in Bowmanville on Monday just before 8 p.m. Police have previously said that at some point the vehicle entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction.
The video, obtained by CTV News Toronto, appears to have been captured from a dashcam on a vehicle headed eastbound on the highway.
At first, the video shows a standard highway of trucks and cars driving in the right direction. But then, headlights appear in the distance facing the driver, who quickly pulls to the shoulder of the road.
Moments after, a vehicle speeds in the wrong direction, followed by a police car close behind.
CTV Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis said the police chase protocol is dependent on a range of factors, including the traffic volume and severity of the situation.
“Generally speaking, the officers that are in the chase can stop at any time they see fit,” Lewis said. “It’s just awful no matter what, obviously, these officers have to live with this the rest of their lives.”
The Special Investigations Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the pursuit.