IIO is Investigating a December 2022 Incident in Vancouver (2022-345)
Case: 2022-345 Incident Date: December 24, 2022 Agency: Municipal Location: Vancouver Detachment: Vancouver Police Department Incident Classification: Serious Harm Case Status: Open - Investigation in ProgressINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC is investigating an incident in Vancouver.
Information provided by the Vancouver Police Department states that at about 9:00 p.m. on December 24, 2022, police responded to a request for assistance in getting a man to leave a restaurant in the 600-block of Dunsmuir Street.
When officers arrived, it is reported that the man declined to leave the restaurant. An interaction ensued, and the man was arrested.
The IIO was initially notified of the incident on December 24, 2022, but an investigation was not commenced at that time as the man did not sustain injuries meeting the threshold for serious harm, as defined by the Police Act.
In February 2023, the IIO received additional information and, in consultation with the Director of Police Services and pursuant to section 44 of the Police Act, an IIO investigation into this incident will be undertaken despite the absence of serious harm.
The investigation will seek to determine if police actions during the arrest of the affected person were lawful.
The IIO is asking any person with relevant information, or dashcam or other video footage of the incident to please contact the Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
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.