The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C. has started an investigation after being notified of an injury during an arrest in August 2023.
The incident occurred on Aug. 30, but IIO says it was only notified on March 6.
The injured person says that around 8 p.m. on Aug. 30, police responded to a home in the 1000 block of Johnson Street where he and a friend were having a disagreement.
Police arrested the man, and he says he sustained a serious but not-life-threatening injury while being taken out of the VicPD vehicle to be brought to holding cells.
The IIO is now investigating and says the initial steps in the investigation “appear to confirm that the man’s injury meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act.”
Now the investigation will work to determine what role, if any, police actions or inactions played in the injury.
The IIO is asking anyone with relevant information about the incident to call the IIO Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
Laura Brougham
