The driver who fatally struck two pedestrians in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville district of Montreal early Monday evening faces multiple charges of dangerous driving.
The 23-year-old man appeared in court on Monday afternoon and was charged with dangerous driving causing death, hit-and-run causing death and hit-and-run causing death, the Montreal City Police Department (SPVM) said earlier in the evening.
Two calls to 911 led to SPVM police officers going to the intersection of Boulevard Henri-Bourassa Ouest and Boulevard de l'Acadie around 1:20 a.m. Monday.
When they arrived, they found two people unconscious on the ground; Her death was announced immediately. The suspect had left the scene.
Speeding
The SPVM explained that speed was to blame for this tragedy. A witness interviewed by Radio-Canada said speeding was common at the intersection. There have been complaints in the past.
According to witnesses the police met at the scene, the suspect vehicle was traveling at high speed on Henri Bourassa Boulevard.
Based on information from witnesses, the police sent the dog unit to the scene of the accident, which enabled the driver to be located and arrested not far from the scene of the accident as he fled on foot.
He had stopped his vehicle near the intersection of Boulevard Henri-Bourassa Ouest and Rue Dutrisac in the Saint-Laurent district.
Victims in their thirties
The suspect has a criminal record. He was taken to a hospital while waiting to be interviewed by SPVM investigators. He was asked to take a blood sample to determine whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident.
The identities of the two victims are not yet known, but they are men aged 30 and 31. There would be no family ties between them.
The city reacts
It is with great sadness that we learned of the deaths of these two people, which occurred in the early hours of the New Year. Every death on our streets is one death too many, responded the city of Montreal.
This tragic event shows how important it is to continue to fight against dangerous driving that endangers lives and must be condemned strongly.
With information from Sarah Déry, Gabrielle Proulx and The Canadian Press
With information from The Canadian Press