B.C.'s police watchdog investigating after man dies during highway incident

B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating after a man died and a woman was injured when RCMP tried to stop thevehicle they were drivingon Highway 97A near Armstrong early this morning.

Just after 3 a.m., a North OkanaganRCMP officer tried to stop an alleged stolen vehicle on Highway 97A southbound between Powerhouse and McCallan roads, theIndependent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) said in a statement.

The light-coloured Mazda 6 drove off the road and came to a stop in a shallow ditch near McCallan Road, according to the IIO.

The driver of the vehicle, a man, died at the scene.

A woman who was a passenger in the vehicle was taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening.

The IIOwas notified and is now investigating what role, if any, theofficer's involvement played in the man's death.

Highway 97A remainedclosed Sunday evening in both directions. A detour is available via Canyon Road.

The IIO is the province'sindependent civilian oversight agency of the police.

It investigates allincidents involving police officers that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.