Man dies after fleeing police in three-wheeled vehicle in downtown Vancouver

A man has died after a three-wheeled vehicle crashed near Jack Poole Plaza in downtown Vancouver on Friday afternoon. B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office is investigating.

Vancouver Police Department said officers were on foot in the 1000 block of Canada Place investigating a fraud when they tried to speak with a male suspect in a vehicle. The man drove away, police said.

Less than a block from the original scene, the vehicle was involved in a collision and its driver died. No one else was injured, according to police.

Photos from the taped-off scene showed a Polaris Slingshot, a roofless vehicle combining features of a sports car and motorcycle, on its side beside a damaged SUV.

Witness Shirin Shahbazi said she was driving toward the Fairmont Hotel when two officers stood in front of her vehicle and blocked access to Canada Place. She said she then saw the Slingshot speed past and officers pursue it.

Shahbazi said the driver tried to pass between two vehicles but became stuck between them. She said the vehicle flipped over and the driver lost consciousness, describing a loud and distressing scene.

B.C. Emergency Health Services said it dispatched ambulances and paramedics at 3:18 p.m. and transported one patient to hospital in critical condition. The IIO said the driver was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.

The IIO is determining whether police action or inaction was connected to the man’s death. If it finds a connection, it will investigate whether any involved officer may have committed an offence. The office investigates such incidents whether or not there is an allegation of police wrongdoing.

CTV News has contacted Vancity Slingshot, the rental company whose branding appears on the vehicle, for further comment.