A young man remains in hospital with critical injuries after a serious crash Tuesday afternoon on Shaughnessy Street.
Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said it appears the man was driving south on Shaughnessy near Metcalfe Way (in the River Springs area) just before 4 p.m. when the incident occurred.
"At that location, the road swings a bit to the right," Chung said. "At this point, we think speed was a contributing factor. He lost control of the vehicle, crossed the centre line, left the roadway to the left and hit a tree."
The road was closed between David Avenue and Lodge Drive until later that evening, with some disruptions to traffic and public transit routes.
The traffic services team is investigating the incident with the help of the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service.
It's not known whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash. Witnesses who haven't yet spoken to police are asked to call 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2012-31909.
In other police news:
MISMATCHED PLATES LEAD TO ARREST
A Surrey man is facing 17 criminal charges after being arrested in Port Coquitlam earlier this month.
On Nov. 6, the Coquitlam RCMP's Prolific Target Team was patrolling the 3600-block of Oxford Street when they encountered a blue Volkswagen Passat with mismatched licence plates. When officers tried to pull it over, the driver sped away.
Officers didn't pursue the vehicle but kept an eye on the driver from a distance.
"Given what we knew at that point, we didn't pursue the blue Passat out of an abundance of caution for public safety," said Cpl. Jamie Chung.
Moments later, officers came across a fender bender involving the Passat, whose driver was missing. He was spotted nearby, running away, and was arrested.
Andrew Marlow, 31, faces three counts of possession of stolen property, two counts of possession of a weapon, nine counts of failure to comply and one count each of possession of break-in instruments, flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
He remains in custody until his next court appearance on Nov. 30.
COQUITLAM MAN LINKED TO RICHMOND JEWELRY HEIST
Three men, including a Coquitlam resident, have been charged after allegedly robbing a Richmond jewelry store on Nov. 6.
Shortly before 6 p.m. that day, witnesses reported seeing two suspects enter Richmond Centre mall and smash the display case at Ben Moss Jewellers before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of merchandise. Once outside, one of the suspects, armed with a gun, tried unsuccessfully to carjack a vehicle.
When he tried on a second vehicle, the suspect was grabbed by bystanders; a scuffle ensued, in which the suspect fired a shot. Nobody was injured, although one bystander was bitten by the suspect and received medical treatment.
The suspect was held until Richmond RCMP arrived and recovered the handgun. The two other suspects were later located and arrested by Vancouver Police Department officers.
Ty Burgess, a 29-year-old Vancouver resident, and Shane Buckner, a 36-year-old Mission resident, have been charged with armed robbery and wearing a disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence. Keith Macdonald, a 32-year-old Coquitlam man, is charged with armed robbery and possession of a prohibited firearm.
All three will be back in court on Nov. 19.
