SIU Logo
The Special Investigations Unit has concluded there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) officers following a fatal Milton crash that killed three people in March 2024.
The SIU investigated the conduct of two officers who had separate interactions with an 18-year-old male driver in the hours before the collision, which also claimed the lives of a 16-year-old female passenger and a 26-year-old man in another vehicle. The investigation found police were first called to a McDonald’s drive-through on Santa Maria Boulevard shortly after 1:30 a.m. on March 30th, 2024, following a report of a possibly impaired driver. Officers spoke with the driver and determined there were no grounds at that time to conduct sobriety testing or lay impaired driving charges, allowing him to leave.
Roughly 50 minutes later, the same driver was stopped again on Derry Road after officers observed the vehicle weaving between lanes. Police issued tickets for careless driving and a licence plate violation but did not conduct sobriety testing, and the driver was again permitted to leave. At about 3:20 a.m., the driver struck the rear of another vehicle stopped at a red light at Derry Road and Sixth Line, causing both vehicles to catch fire. All three occupants involved were pronounced dead at the scene, and a subsequent reconstruction estimated the driver’s speed at between 140 and 154 km/h.
As part of the investigation, toxicology testing later determined the driver’s blood alcohol concentration was significantly above the legal limit at the time of the crash. The SIU reviewed video footage, 911 recordings, police communications, GPS data, witness interviews, and expert opinions. While the SIU Director noted the police investigations “left much to be desired,” the report concludes the officers’ actions did not amount to criminal negligence, describing them as potential errors in judgment rather than conduct showing a wanton or reckless disregard for public safety.
The SIU investigation is now closed, with a public report released outlining the findings and confirming no criminal charges will be laid against the officers involved.
