Friends of a taxi driver killed in Victoria by a driver allegedly fleeing police are raising money to send his remains home.
Supporters have identified the victim as Rajinder “Ronnie” Singh, a 24-year-old Victoria cab driver.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO), which is reviewing the circumstances of the crash, said it happened around 1 a.m. Saturday morning on Douglas Street.
The watchdog said police were trying to stop a Nissan pickup truck that was allegedly driving erratically on Douglas near Courtenay Street, but the driver failed to pull over.
The driver then struck a transit bus and another vehicle at the intersection of Douglas and Humbolt streets, according to the IIO.
There were no passengers on the bus at the time, but Singh, who was in the second vehicle, died at the scene.
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The Nissan driver was taken into custody.
A crowdfunding campaign for Singh said he was killed in a head-on collision. The GoFundMe campaign said he worked as a taxi driver at night and juggled multiple jobs to help support his ailing parents in India.
“As we come to terms with this tragedy, we want to honor Ronnie’s last wish: to be cremated and returned to India, where he can rest in peace among his loved ones. However, the financial burden of this process is overwhelming for his family,” the GoFundMe states.
By Monday evening the campaign had raised more than $50,000.
The IIO, which probes all police-related incidents that result in serious injury or death regardless of allegations of wrongdoing, is reviewing the incident.
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