No charge against B.C. cop after vehicle hit and killed teen skateboarder

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – No charges will be laid against an Abbotsford, B.C., police officer was driving his personal vehicle when struck a 14-year-old boy, killing him.

The Criminal Justice Branch says the off-duty officer was driving home on the evening of Dec. 26, 2014, when a skateboarder entered an intersection on a red light and landed on the off-duty officer’s windshield.

Marcus Larabie was thrown from the vehicle and died in hospital several hours later.

The branch says the officer reported he did not see the teen, who was wearing dark clothing and wasn’t wearing a helmet, and that occupants in a nearby vehicle reported the skateboarder was very hard to see.

The branch says Larabie had travelled across three lanes and was partway through a southbound curb lane when he was hit and the officer tried to brake at the last minute.

The Independent Investigations Office, which investigates police-involved deaths and serious injuries, initially said the officer may have committed an offence though the branch says there wasn’t enough evidence to support a careless driving conviction.