Two 19-year-olds killed, another critically injured in Laval crash after police try to pull vehicle over
Posted August 5, 2026 7:13 am.
Last Updated August 5, 2026 4:54 pm.
Two 19-year-olds were killed and another was critically injured after the vehicle they were in crashed into a gym in Laval early Wednesday morning.
The driver, a man, was declared dead on scene, while his passenger, a woman, was pronounced dead in hospital. A 19-year-old man sustained life-threatening injuries.
The Service de police de Laval (SPL) says officers first spotted the vehicle without a licence plate around 1:20 a.m. and attempted to stop it. The vehicle sped away, but police said no pursuit was initiated.
“The officers decided to not start the pursuit because they judged that it was too dangerous for themselves or for the public,” Arsenault explained.
A short time later, the vehicle crashed into the Atlantis Gym on Laurentides Boulevard. The gym was closed at the time.
Laurentides Boulevard remained closed between Saint-Martin Boulevard and Richard Street Wednesday morning as investigators examined the crash site.
“We have a lot of investigators, collision reconstitution investigators, crime scene technicians on scene, and they are here to shed light on the events,” Arsenault said.
As a result of officers not pursuing, Quebec’s police watchdog will not be investigating.
Former Montreal police inspector André Durocher says deciding whether to chase a fleeing vehicle is not always straightforward for authorities.
“Because once you engage in a high-speed chase, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Durocher said. “So you have to sort of weigh and balance the seriousness of the initial infraction versus the potential damage or tragedy that can occur. It’s never easy.
“To run away from police, always a bad idea. You don’t know what’s going to turn out. Also, there’s an infraction and criminal code that if you try to run away when police are trying to pull you over, you’re just going to make your case worse.”
Durocher says the ages of those in the vehicle may have played a part.
“There’s a lot of awareness to be done,” he said. “You know when we’re young, we tend to be braver, but combined with that, we also have less experience.”
Atlantis Gym was closed for the day due to the accident, the gym said on social media.
