Criminal charges for dangerous driving have been announced today against a Kamloops RCMP officer, following a police chase in Westsyde more than 18 month ago.

Const. Christopher Squire faces one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle, after a crash on Dec. 8, 2018 with a pick-up truck that police believed was stolen.

The Independent Investigations Office say the incident happened at about 12:30 a.m. that night, on Westsyde Road near Grasslands Boulevard, when an unmarked police cruiser was trying to stop the suspect pick-up truck before the two vehicles crashed.

The IIO says the suspect suffered non-life-threatening injuries but did not specify.

But the police watchdog did recommend charges against three officers after the crash, saying “there were reasonable grounds to believe that three officers involved in the pursuit and arrest had committed offences.”

“After reviewing the entirety of the evidence provided, the (BC Prosecution Service) concluded that the charge assessment standard had only been met for the single charge of dangerous driving against Const. Squire,” Dan McLaughlin says, the spokesperson for the BCPS.

“A clear statement explaining the reasons for not approving any other charges will be released following the conclusion of proceedings arising from this charge.”

The man driving the allegedly stolen truck had also previously been charged as a result of the incident, but further details have not been made public.

Const. Squire will appear in Kamloops court on July 30.