Quebec's police watchdog investigating after man drowns in river following police chase

·1 min read
Authorities are looking for the man, 27, who allegedly jumped into a river in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, Que. (Simon-Marc Charron/Radio-Canada - image credit)
Authorities are looking for the man, 27, who allegedly jumped into a river in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, Que. (Simon-Marc Charron/Radio-Canada - image credit)

Quebec's police watchdog is investigating after a driver drowned after jumping into a river in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, Que. apparently to avoid police.

According to a news release from the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers tried to intercept a vehicle travelling with its headlights off on Monday, around 1:20 a.m.

The driver, a 27-year-old man, reportedly refused to stop, and a police chase followed.

He allegedly stopped about a kilometre later, in the parking lot of a residence on 12th Avenue in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, around 64 kilometres north of Montreal.

It appears he then got out of his vehicle and ran toward the river, then jumped in. The driver reportedly called for help but police say they soon lost sight of him.

On Monday afternoon, SQ divers recovered a body from the Jourdain river. Five BEI investigators are looking into what happened.

Simon-Marc Charron/Radio-Canada
Simon-Marc Charron/Radio-Canada
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