Police cleared of wrongdoing in crash that killed 20-year-old

The Independent Investigation Unit says police actions were justified in the leadup to a crash that killed 20-year-old Taylor Renwick.

On Oct. 9, 2015, during Thanksgiving weekend, two members of the RCMP's Portage la Prairie detachment located a suspect in a van at a Petro Canada station in St. Claude, Man.

The suspectwas believed to have been involved in an assault and was possibly driving whileimpaired, the IIU said.

As the officers got out of their marked police vehicle, the van, with four people inside including the suspect, fled the gas station, taking Highway 2 east at high speed.

Within a minute of starting a chase, police stopped pursuing the van due itsspeed, whichapproached 150 kilometres per hour, investigators said.

As the van fled, it movedinto an oncoming westbound lane to pass a semi-trailer truck andhit Renwick's car head-on.

Renwick, who lived in Napinka, Man., was the only person in her car. Shedied at the crash scene. People in the van were seriously injured, but they all survived the crash.

• Driver in serious but stable condition after crash that killed 20-year-old

The IIU's civilian director, Zane Tessler, determined the van's driver moved into the oncoming lane when it wasn't safe. He also said thepolice pursuit was justified, and officers acted prudently.

The 27-year-old driver faces chargesincludingcriminal negligence, dangerous and impaired drivingand flight from a police officer, the IIU news release said.

• Woman dead after head-on crash following police chase near St. Claude