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Yasbirat Itatek, the oldest of five children, would have entered the 12th grade this fall.
Publication date:
July 29, 2022 • 42 minutes ago • Read 3 minutes • Join the conversation Two teenagers died in a fatal crash after their vehicle was struck by another vehicle fleeing Metro Vancouver Transit Police. Photo by Byrne Creek Rugby Club
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The second teenager killed in a fiery crash involving a hit-and-run driver Tuesday night was a 17-year-old high school student.
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Yasbirat Itatek and friend Samir Ali were driving home from a soccer game when their vehicle was struck near the Burnaby-New Westminster border by a speeding Nissan Altima after transit police attempted to stop the vehicle.
The teenagers were pronounced dead at Royal Columbian Hospital.
Itatek was the oldest of five children, according to family friend Mitsilal Veldahaimanot. His family, recent immigrants from Ethiopia, live in the Burnaby Edmonds area and struggle with death. Ytatek was going to start 12th grade this fall.
“Neither of his parents can work after suffering this tragedy, so we’re reaching out to the community to help support the family,” Weldahaimanot said of the GoFundMe page.
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Ytatek was named Player of the Month for March by his soccer team and recently earned a spot on the prestigious Burnaby District Metro Soccer Men’s Team.
Ytatek was also certified as a personal trainer in the Burnaby School District and played rugby with the Burn Creek Rugby Club.
“The community has been through a lot, it can’t be true,” Moreno Stefanon, his coach at Byrne Creek and a teacher at Edmonds Community School, said of his initial reaction. “I’m still in shock.”
It’s the fourth loss of life in the Edmonds neighborhood in the past three months: A 14-year-old girl died after being hit by a dump truck in May, and two Burn Creek high school seniors were killed the following week.
Stefanon cried when he found out. He said he still feels numb and still catches himself talking about Ytatek in the present tense.
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“Jasbirat is such a wonderful young man, he has a world of potential ahead of him,” Stefanon said.
When the teacher arrived at Byrne Creek five years ago, Ytatek had recently arrived and was studying English in Grade 8. Stefanon hired Ytatek for the school’s rugby program.
“He just has that infectious smile, that charisma, that positive attitude about life. Just a wonderful young man to coach.
“It’s tragic, I don’t know how else to describe it, because it wasn’t his doing, it was just the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The other victim, Samir, whose legal name is Olyad Suleiman, had graduated from Britannia High School to study kinesiology at the University of British Columbia on a $50,000 scholarship in the fall.
Olyad’s family immigrated from Kenya five years ago and live in East Vancouver. An online fundraising campaign has also been set up to support his family.
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His family was kept in the dark about the whereabouts of their son’s remains for more than 60 hours, but were finally able to see their son on Friday afternoon, a family neighbor said.
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Family of teenage Vancouver driver killed by fleeing suspect frustrated by shootout
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Two people have died in a crash involving a car fleeing transit police in New Westminster
Metro Vancouver transit police said their officers attempted to pull over a white Nissan Altima at 10th Avenue and 6th Street in New Westminster around 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The speeding vehicle caught fire after crashing into the teenagers’ car, police said.
The driver and passenger of the Altima were taken into custody. Charges of prohibited driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and fleeing police are recommended.
Because of the deaths, the matter has been referred to the British Columbia Transit Police Independent Investigation Office, the Burnaby RCMP and the IIO declined to comment further.
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