North Vancouver RCMP say the driver who struck a pedestrian on Lonsdale Avenue Friday evening and fled the scene is now facing an impaired driving investigation.
But the man may be deported before he faces justice in Canada.
According to police, a man and a woman were crossing Lonsdale in the marked but uncontrolled crosswalk at Fifth Street around 7:30 p.m. when the driver of a southbound pickup truck struck the woman in the curb lane. The victim was knocked several metres and suffered fractures and bruises to her lower extremities, according to North Vancouver RCMP spokesman Cpl. Richard De Jong.
De Jong said the driver stayed for a moment but then took off.
Police took witness statements and started collecting video of the area captured by TransLink buses around that time. But just after midnight, the suspect turned himself in before police could locate him.
The vehicle was seized for inspection but De Jong said police are now treating it as an impaired driving case. De Jong could not release any more details about the hit-and-run, but said that police did learn the man was also being sought by the Canada Border Services Agency.
“It turns out he has overstayed his welcome in Canada,” De Jong said. “So CBSA has been advised.”
The suspect is a Mexican citizen, according to police.
Typically, when CBSA carries out a deportation, the agency does not wait for police charges to be filed, De Jong said.
The victim, a 24-year-old North Vancouver woman, has since been released from Lions Gate Hospital.
UPDATE:
On December 20, CBSA responded, disputing the North Vancouver RCMP's assertion that the suspect may be deported before his Canadian court matters are dealt with.
"Foreign nationals accused of committing criminal offences are subject to the due process of the law. Criminal matters take precedence over immigration matters, and, if charged or convicted, foreign nationals must await the disposition of those charges and/or serve their sentence before an individual may be removed from Canada," the statement read.
