Crown prosecutors are seeking a two-year jail term followed by 18 months’ probation for Kyle Nicholas Luca in the April 22, 2024 hit-and-run in Squamish that injured a grandmother and her 11-month-old grandson.
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Crown prosecutors are seeking a two-year jail sentence followed by 18 months’ probation for a B.C. hit-and-run driver who blew a stop sign, struck a grandmother and her 11-month-old grandson, and continued driving for five blocks with the baby and stroller still attached to his vehicle.
At a sentencing hearing in North Vancouver Provincial Court Tuesday, defence counsel suggested six months in custody followed by a 12-month conditional sentence to be served in the community, citing Luca’s participation in extensive counselling and rehabilitative efforts.
Court heard the crash occurred April 22, 2024, in downtown Squamish, where Carolyn Brown, her husband, daughter and infant grandson were visiting from Ontario and out for an evening walk. Brown and the stroller carrying the baby were hit in a marked crosswalk on Pemberton Avenue.
Prosecutor Kenny Wu said the impact lifted Brown into the air and the stroller became lodged in the front bumper of the white 2016 Nissan Maxima Luca was driving. Prosecutors said Luca kept driving and blew two more stop signs before Jamie Powney followed and used his truck to block the hit-and-run vehicle.
Bystanders freed the baby, and Powney said he tossed Luca’s keys and belongings into a ditch before confronting him. Court heard Luca told Powney he was not drunk and that someone “threw the baby in front of him.”
The court was told empty liquor cans were found in Luca’s Nissan, and he had a blood alcohol level of 110 mg/100 ml. Luca was arrested at the scene.
Brown’s daughter and the baby’s mother, Sara Cooper, told the court that Luca’s actions “shattered” her role as a parent, adding that she had to choose to run away so she could search for her “missing and likely dead baby.” Brown’s family also said Quinn suffered a bump on the head, bruising to his face, and cuts on his tongue.
Brown, a rural family physician, was treated at Lions Gate Hospital for multiple injuries, including a concussion, traumatic brain injury and skull laceration. She said in her victim impact statement that she was forced to give up her practice in October 2024 and now earns one quarter of her previous income, filling in for other doctors for a few hours at a time.
Luca pleaded guilty in September to impaired driving causing bodily harm and failing to stop at an accident involving bodily harm. The court heard Luca also pleaded guilty to breaching his bail by driving on June 26, 2025.
Prosecutors said Luca was arrested after blowing a fail during a traffic stop by Squamish RCMP near Britannia Beach. While under electronic monitoring, Wu told the court that Luca was located near Jack Poole Plaza on the evening of July 8 and in various parts of downtown Vancouver until his ankle monitor ran out of batteries around 3:00 a.m.
Wu also told the court that Luca breached a 7 p.m. curfew by not returning home until the afternoon of July 9. Luca was arrested July 16 and has remained in custody since.
Crown counsel is seeking a three-year driving ban, noting Luca has been prohibited by the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles six times and has 10 speeding entries, including two for excessive speeding. Wu said Luca received a 24-hour prohibition for alcohol on Sept. 28, 2024.
Defence counsel Don Muldoon argued that a custodial sentence would be too harsh, describing Luca’s progress through treatment and counselling, as well as a return to the family home. Muldoon also referenced Luca’s medical and mental health challenges since childhood, including dyslexia, ADHD and anxiety disorder, along with adult conditions including a herniated disc and significant vision difficulties.
Judge Ariana Ward is expected to deliver her decision on Nov. 2.
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