Grandparents, grandchild among 4 dead in wrong-way 401 pursuit crash

Ontario’s police watchdog says an infant is among the four people killed in a crash involving multiple police vehicles Monday night in a town east of Toronto.

Three other individuals were pronounced dead on scene, including a 55-year-old, a 60-year old, and the driver of a cargo-van that was travelling westbound in the eastbound lanes of the 401.

According to the latest report from officials, the incident began around 7:50 p.m. Monday when the Durham Regional Police Service was called out to a robbery at an LCBO in Clarington.

Upon their arrival, they located a cargo van of interest and proceeded to follow the van through numerous streets in the Durham region, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says.

“At some point, the cargo van entered Highway 401 at Stevenson Road, going in the wrong direction. It was traveling westbound in eastbound lanes,” reads the watchdog’s latest update.

video of Durham police driving the wrong way against traffic at high speeds in a chase that led to 4 deaths near whitby pic.twitter.com/RdihwPxuUY

— Richard B. Long (@richblong) April 30, 2024

The SIU says shortly after, there was a multi-vehicle collision involving at least six vehicles.

Authorities have revealed that four people were killed in the crash. A fifth person remains hospitalized in serious condition.

At this time, investigators have not provided further details on the identity of the victims or the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Following the crash, the roadway was closed throughout the night and into the following morning. It has since reopened.

– With files from the Canadian Press