B. C. Highway Patrol officers appear to have caused a tractor to roll over to stop it from driving on Hwy 1 Saturday afternoon.
Videos posted on social media suggest that the tractor was part of a convoy protesting the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity topics in B.C. schools.
The BC RCMP say they have notified the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO BC) of the incident in Surrey where a man driving a tractor was injured after police tried pulling him over around 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 25.
The man was travelling westbound on Highway 1 near the 176 street turn off. Officers had reportedly attempted to pull the tractor over for an extended period while it was part of a convoy that was heading to Vancouver.
During the interaction, the tractor and police vehicle collided, the tractor inverted, and came to a rest on its side, resulting in the driver suffering non-life-threatening injuries. He remains in hospital.
The IIO BC is investigating police actions in the incident.
The British Columbia Highway Patrol is investigating actions of the driver and Surrey RCMP are investigating the collision between the tractor and police vehicle.
Police say that all aspects and circumstances of this incident will be the subject of independent investigation by the IIO BC.
Video of the incident posted on social media shows several police SUVs pursuing the large farm vehicle north on Hwy 15 in Surrey. One of the police vehicles seems to cause the tractor to roll by using a precision immobilization technique maneuver. The BCHP cruiser appears to make contact with the rear of the tractor, causing its driver to lose control.
BCHP officers were dealing with another call when they encountered the tractor and attempted a traffic stop which resulted in an initial collision when the tractor struck a police vehicle,” said Surrey RCMP.
One person was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment after the incident.
The Lower Mainland’s Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service has been called to the scene.
