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The remains of the front end of a tractor-trailer following a fatal collision on Hwy. 401 in Whitby, Ont., on Monday, April 29, 2024, that left four people dead and at least another person clinging to life. Photo by Screenshot /X/@ShebaSid Article content A person who was critically injured in the fatal Hwy. 401 wrong-way crash is not expected to live, police sources told the Toronto Sun.
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The crash occurred on Monday night after two men - who allegedly robbed a Bowmanville LCBO outlet, according to police - led cops on a high-speed chase that ended with a van driving the wrong way down the busy expressway and slamming into another vehicle carrying a family.
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Two grandparents and their infant grandchild were killed in the crash along with one of the occupants of the van. Another person was taken to a hospital with significant injuries.
Police sources told the Sun that an off-duty Durham Regional Police sergeant was nearby when an LCBO store was allegedly robbed in Bowmanville. There were two suspects. When the cop tried to stop the pair, one of them allegedly pulled a knife.
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Grandparents, grandchild among 4 dead in wrong-way 401 pursuit crash
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Instead, the officer followed them in his personal vehicle until police cruisers arrived and picked up the chase that sources say tore up the streets of Oshawa. One of the cruisers was allegedly hit during the pursuit.
But the chase was called off until another officer saw the suspect U-Haul van entering Hwy. 401 heading the wrong way - westbound in the eastbound lanes.
Sources said cops renewed the chase at that point, but the officer didn't say over the radio that the pursuit of the van was back on. Minutes later, the next radio transmission reported the explosive crash that involved six vehicles.
Cops said that the grandparents, their daughter and the infant were in a vehicle that was hit head-on by the fleeing van.
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Play Video The Sun has also learned that the baby's dad was following behind in a separate vehicle at the time of the crash. Police sources said the family is from the Waterloo area.
A source said the second suspect in the van is not expected to survive.
The OPP closed the busy roadway for hours as investigators attempted to unravel the carnage.
The province's Special Investigations Unit has invoked its mandate. The agency investigates deaths and serious injuries involving police.
So far, Durham police have been tight-lipped about the crash, citing the SIU's involvement. In addition, cops have not released any of the names of the dead.
- With files from Joe Warmington
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