IIO Concludes Investigation into an Arrest in Vancouver (2024-046)
Case: 2024-046 Incident Date: February 29, 2024 Agency: Municipal Location: Vancouver Detachment: Vancouver Police Department Incident Classification: Serious Harm Case Status: Closed - Without Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC has now completed its investigation into the arrest of one man in Vancouver (IIO 2024-046).
At about 9:50 p.m. on February 29, 2024, Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officers responded to a call regarding a man allegedly damaging property and threatening others in a parkade in the 1100 block of Alberni Street.
Video footage of the incident shows the man moving towards police while holding a fire extinguisher, and when he did not put the extinguisher down, police fired several bean bag rounds. The man is then arrested and transported to the VPD jail.
Shortly after arriving at the VPD jail, the man was found to be unwell, and Emergency Health Services were called. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment, where he was found to be suffering a medical event unrelated to any police use of force during his arrest.
The Chief Civilian Director has reviewed the evidence – including video footage, medical records, and police reports – and determined that the injuries the man sustained in the interaction with police were minor and do not meet the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act. The man has since recovered from his medical event.
The IIO investigation is now concluded.
Background
The IIO is the Independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.