British ColumbiaA B.C. Coroners Service inquest has begun looking into the circumstances of a crash that led to three deaths five years ago. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. cleared an RCMP officer who was pursuing a suspect in the case. Gabriel Johnson Choi, Hasan Khaled Ayyad and Allison Dawn Gilchrist were killed in 2020 crash Baneet Braich · CBC News · Posted: Dec 08, 2025 10:12 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Police officers are seen in the aftermath of a wrong-way crash on Highway 1 in Chilliwack, B.C., on Dec. 29, 2020. The crash led to three deaths and it followed police chasing a suspect. (CBC)Almost five years ago, a car speeding in the wrong direction on Highway 1 in B.C.’s Fraser Valley crashed into another vehicle while being pursued by police.Now, a B.C. Coroners Service inquest is reviewing the circumstances that lead to the deaths of 35-year-old Gabriel Johnson Choi, 29-year-old Hasan Khaled Ayyad and 43-year-old Allison Dawn Gilchrist. In the early hours of Dec. 29, 2020, a vehicle was driving the wrong way in the eastbound lane on Highway 1 between Chilliwack and Hope — around 120 kilometres east of Vancouver — well above the speed limit. An RCMP officer saw the car pass and pursued the vehicle just after 4 a.m. PT. Several minutes later, there was a head-on collision between the vehicle being chased and another car, according to a 2022 report from the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.Two people died in the crash, according to the report, while a third person later died in hospital.First responders on the scene at a fatal crash on Dec. 29, 2020 in Chilliwack, B.C. Two people were killed that day, while a third later died in hospital. (CBC News)The coroners service confirmed Ayyad was driving the vehicle in the wrong direction, with Gilchrist as his passenger. He crashed into Choi, who was transported to hospital and later died.The IIO cleared the officer who was pursuing the car in the wrong direction.The IIO — one of whose investigators are seen in this file photo — cleared the police officer who was pursuing the car from wrongdoing. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)Nearly five years later, a coroner’s inquest jury will look into the circumstances of the case and make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances.Coroner’s juries do not assign fault, and their recommendations are not legally binding.Family members reflectThe inquest on Monday morning began with family members reflecting on their loved ones.Stormie Choi shared fond memories of her younger brother Gabriel, a federal corrections officer who was on the emergency response team. Choi said that long before adulthood, Gabriel was “creative, talented and bright” as a gifted hip-hop artist who loved to breakdance. “He was one of the funniest people I knew,” she said, joining the inquest via video call. She said her brother, one of four siblings, was her best friend. “His laughter, and his larger than life spirit, is a loss our family feels deeply,” said Choi. “We will miss him for the rest of our lives.” Barbara Empson, the mother of Gilchrist, remembered her daughter’s friendliness and “radiating smile.” She said Gilchrist experienced significant challenges related to mental health. Those struggles made it increasingly difficult to communicate with loved ones over time. “Her life with its beautiful moments and difficult chapters, left a lasting impact on those who knew her,” said Empson. Watch commander testifiesNow-retired RCMP Staff Sgt. Philip Neetz, who was on duty as a watch commander at the time, recalled the police response during the incident. Part of his testimony included discussing risk assessments and Section 122 of the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act, in which emergency vehicles can be exempt from some rules when engaging in their duties. The retired watch commander said a spike belt was deployed to try and help halt the speeding vehicle, but Ayyad went around it.Neetz had given an order for the responding officer to stop the pursuit — partly worried about the increased risk of getting closer to city limits.He said after a few moments passed, a dispatcher said the order came over “faint” on the radio.The RCMP watch commander at the time of the chase says he ordered that the pursuit be ended. (David Bell/CBC)Neetz added that he remains perplexed to this day as to why his order didn’t go through, and the pursuit continued. “I don’t know why it came through faint, I don’t understand that,” said Neetz, who said at the time that he questioned if there was a problem with his radio. The former watch commander added that, that in a fast-moving situation, radio chatter could become overwhelming for an officer involved in a pursuit.The inquest will continue until Dec. 19.ABOUT THE AUTHORBaneet Braich is a journalist with CBC News. Connect with her at baneet.braich@cbc.ca or on Twitter at @Baneet_BraichBaneet_Braich
Inquest begins on wrong-way Highway 1 crash in Chilliwack that led to 3 deaths
