Police watchdog to investigate whether Lytton traffic stop led to man’s death

LYTTON, B.C. — The Independent Investigation Office (IIO) is looking into a traffic stop near Lytton after the subject of the stop ended up dead in the Fraser River.

According to a news release issued Wednesday (Sept. 9), an officer pulled over a 1994 Ford Ranger on the Trans Canada Highway just south of Lytton on August 12. The officer intended to conduct a test to determine if the driver was impaired.

The driver reportedly fled on foot across the highway.

Six days later, on August 18, a man’s body was recovered in the Fraser River near Hope. Subsequent identification determined the body belonged to the man involved in the traffic stop.