Family files lawsuit over deadly Hwy 401 police chase that killed baby, grandparents

The family of a baby boy who was killed along with his grandparents in a wrong-way police chase on Highway 401 are suing the Durham Region police officers involved, the police board and the estate of the driver who struck them.

A statement of claim filed in court by the boy’s parents and two other family members alleges police negligence and inadequate handling of the pursuit that left four people dead in April 2024.

Three-month-old Aditya Vivaan Gokulnath and his grandparents, who were visiting from India, died when a wrong-way cargo van being pursued by police struck the family’s vehicle on the highway east of Toronto.

The driver of the van also died in the crash that raised questions about the police decision to pursue a suspect in an alleged liquor store robbery into oncoming traffic on one of Canada’s busiest highways.

The two police officers named in the lawsuit are facing criminal charges in the case, which have not been tested in court.

A spokesperson for Durham Regional Police Service says the force is aware of the lawsuit but cannot comment on it because of the ongoing legal process.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2025.

The Canadian Press