Prosecutors in British Columbia have approved multiple charges against a Vancouver police officer a year after a pedestrian was hit by a police car in the city’s Downtown Eastside.
Const. Jack Zhao has been charged with driving without due care and attention, failing to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian, and speeding.
The province’s prosecution service says the charges were approved by an experienced Crown counsel who has no connection with the officer.
Alleged video of the incident on Sept. 20, 2022, that was shared by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, shows a person standing motionless in the middle of East Hastings Street.
A black police cruiser appears to hit the man without swerving and he is thrown about 10 metres as the car skids to a halt.
Warning: the following tweets contain video of a police car hitting a man in the street that some viewers may find disturbing.
The man was standing still in the road for approx 2 minutes prior to the collision. Two @VancouverPD cars, a bus, & two cyclists easily avoid the man while driving past him. He is not moving or acting erratically. (4/12) pic.twitter.com/c3VwseYeAO
— VANDU (@VANDUpeople) September 23, 2022
At the time the provincial Independent Investigations Office said the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Zhao’s first appearance is scheduled for Sept. 28 in Vancouver provincial court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2023.
The Canadian Press
