_News Talk 770
5/25/2012
A new fatality inquiry has concluded police could have done nothing more to "stop the carnage" in an August 2008 crash that killed two men in Calgary. Police say it started as a routine traffic stop on 32nd Avenue just before 64th Street NE, but the vehicle, driven by Digman Mohammhad Al-Karawi, sped through a red light. The officers stopped the pursuit, but the mini-van ran another red light at 68th Street and smashed into an SUV at a speed upwards of 120 km/h. Al-Karawi and a passenger in the SUV, Abdul Jabbar Umar, were killed. Provincial Court Judge Paul Mason has a number of recommendations, ultimately pointing to police not being able to do anything more to avoid the crash from happening. He says there are numerous examples of "significant tragedy" thanks to high-speed pursuits by police, and while it "may make for entertaining television and movies", the cost is too high to be the only option for officers.
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