2 men guilty of failing to stop, interfering with body in fatal pedestrian crash

RCMP officers respond to a fatal pedestrian collision in Surrey, B.C., on Jan. 27, 2024.

One year after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a Ford Mustang in Surrey, B.C., two men have pleaded guilty to several charges – including interfering with a dead body.

That charge stems from the fact that the victim was “essentially dragged by the vehicle for several blocks,” said Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with the Surrey Police Service.

“I think it would have been impossible for them to not know they had hit somebody,” Houghton added.

In addition to interference, Gaganpreet Singh and Jagdeep Singh also each pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle and failure to stop at an accident involving a person.

Authorities said the incident began on University Drive and 104 Avenue in the early morning hours of Jan. 27, 2024, when witnesses reported seeing a red Mustang slam into a pedestrian and leave the scene without stopping to provide help.

Officers were already in the area and managed to track down the Mustang, the victim and two suspects blocks away from the collision site, Houghton said.

The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident happened before the Surrey Police Service took over policing jurisdiction from the Surrey RCMP, and was investigated by the RCMP’s Criminal Collision Investigation Team, Houghton noted.

Gaganpreet Singh entered his guilty plea on Jan. 6, while Jagdeep Singh entered his plea on Feb. 7.

Both men have been released from custody and have a sentencing hearing scheduled in May.