Passenger in deadly Highway 401 wrong-way crash pleads guilty, released on probation

A Toronto-area man involved in a robbery in April — leading to a high-speed police chase and a deadly wrong-way crash on a busy highway — has been released on probation and warned he may still face “immigration consequences.”

The fiery, multi-vehicle collision on Highway 401 in Whitby, Ont., which remains under investigation by Ontario’s police watchdog, killed four people, including an infant.

Manpreet Gill, the sole passenger riding in the cargo van pursued by police, faced 13 charges, including robbery, but was not charged in connection with the deaths, or the chase. An Oshawa, Ont., court heard last month that he acted as the “lookout” during the liquor store robbery in nearby Clarington on April 29, according to records reviewed by CBC News.

Speaking through a Punjabi-language interpreter in court last month, he pleaded guilty to three counts, including the lesser charge of theft under $5,000. Other charges were withdrawn.

Gill also pleaded guilty to breaching probation and a release order. Court heard it was the second time in the past two years that he was found to be breaching his bail conditions, as Gill struggled with opioid addiction.

Ontario Court Justice Russell Wood agreed with a joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence, handing Gill a 5.5-month jail term – amounting to more than time served – and two years’ probation.

“I understand that … there’s the potential for immigration consequences,” Wood said. Gill’s status in Canada is unclear. Court heard he completed high school and a science degree in India.

Police chase still under investigation

Left unsaid during the November hearing was the deadly cascade of events set off after Gill and an accomplice stole $1,602.80 worth of booze.

According to Durham Regional Police, a suspect pulled a knife on an off-duty officer at the store, then took off in a U-Haul van. After a high-speed police chase through Durham region, east of Toronto, several more police vehicles then pursued the van as it sped onto Highway 401 in the opposite direction of traffic.

The chase ended in a multi-vehicle crash that killed three-month-old Aditya Vivaan and his two paternal grandparents visiting from India. The infant’s parents were also both injured.

The cargo van driver, later identified as Gagandeep Singh, 21, was the fourth person killed in the collision. Gill was seriously injured.

A spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ontario’s civilian police oversight agency, confirmed its probe into the incident remains ongoing. The SIU previously said its investigation is focused on two officers.

Investigators said they’ve reviewed video from traffic cameras, body-worn cameras, vehicle dash cameras and drones and conducted dozens of interviews.