Police have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the death of a Saanich teenager.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) has concluded its investigation in West Shore RCMP鈥檚 involvement in the November 2021 death of a 19-year-old man with a Saanich address, who died after his car plunged into Patricia Bay.

At around 3 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2021, police arrested the man without incident and released him from custody at approximately 7 p.m., according to a statement from the IIO. At around 7:20 p.m., the man was reported to have breached his conditions and was spoken to by an officer from West Shore RCMP but not taken back into custody.

Shortly before 9 p.m., the man鈥檚 vehicle went off the road near the intersection of West Saanich and Mills roads in North Saanich and entered the water. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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The chief civilian director of the IIO has reviewed the evidence, which includes civilian witness statements, medical information and police records, and determined neither police action nor inaction played a role in the man鈥檚 death.

鈥淭here were concerns regarding the man鈥檚 mental wellness, but available information reflects that grounds did not exist to apprehend the man under the Mental Health Act,鈥� read the statement.

The IIO鈥檚 investigation has concluded, but the BC Coroners Service continues to conduct its investigation into the death.

The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in B.C. and investigates all police-related incidents that result in serious harm or death.

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