Two police officers from Durham are set to go to trial over their involvement in a fatal collision in April 2024 that resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including two grandparents and their infant grandchild. The incident occurred following a police pursuit of a suspect driving the wrong way on Canada’s busiest highway.
The Special Investigations Unit of Ontario filed charges against Sgt. Richard Flynn and Const. Brandon Hamilton in January 2025. Each officer faces three charges of criminal negligence causing death and two charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. Justice Craig Brannagan determined during a court session that there is sufficient admissible evidence for a jury to potentially conclude that the officers significantly contributed to the victims’ fatalities.
The court proceeding did not establish guilt but signifies that the officers will proceed to trial. The collision transpired on April 29, 2024, as law enforcement pursued a suspect involved in a liquor store robbery who was driving in the wrong direction on Highway 401 in Whitby. The pursuit culminated in a crash involving at least six vehicles, according to the Special Investigations Unit.
In a vehicle involved in the crash, Gokulnath Manivannan and his wife Ashwitha Jawahar were the sole survivors. Their three-month-old son, Aditya, and Manivannan’s parents, Manivannan Srinivasapillai and Mahalakshmi Ananthakrishnan, perished in the tragic event. Manivannan mentioned in a statement from May 2024 that his parents had recently arrived in Canada from Chennai, India, just two days prior to the accident.
The individual suspected in the liquor store robbery also lost their life in the collision. Subsequently, Manivannan, Jawahar, and two other relatives initiated a $25 million lawsuit against the officers, the police board, and the suspect’s estate. The lawsuit alleges that the suspect, who crashed into the family’s vehicle, drove with blatant disregard for other motorists on Highway 401. It also asserts that the officers exercised poor judgment by pursuing the suspect recklessly.
The family’s legal representation is being handled by lawyers Brad Moscato and Adam Wagman from Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP. Wagman emphasized the family’s respect for law enforcement but stressed that something had gone seriously wrong in this particular case. He expressed the family’s need for answers and emphasized the importance of preventing similar tragedies in the future.
Durham Regional Police Association President Andrew Tummonds was present at the hearing but opted not to provide comments. Attorneys Lawrence Gridin and Sandy Khehra, representing Flynn and Hamilton respectively, mentioned that it will be several months before a trial date is established but refrained from adding further comments.