IIO is Investigating an In-Custody Incident in Pitt Meadows (2026-119)

Case: 2026-119 Incident Date: May 29, 2026 Detachment: Pitt Meadows Location: Pitt Meadows Agency: RCMP Incident Classification: Serious Harm Case Status: Open - Investigation in Progress

INFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release

Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is investigating the injuries sustained by a man while in custody of the Pitt Meadows RCMP on May 29, 2026.

Preliminary information provided by the RCMP states that a man was initially arrested for theft and taken into custody. Once identified, the man was found to be in violation of a court release order condition and was transported to the RCMP detachment and lodged in cells.

After being taken to a cell, the man started behaving in a manner that required officers to temporarily restrain him. Police later decided to re-enter the cell because of safety concerns, and an interaction then occurred between the man and officers.

The man later complained of an injury and was taken by ambulance to a hospital for assessment and treatment.

The IIO was notified of the incident the following day and has commenced an investigation.

There are two factors that the IIO considers at the beginning of each investigation:

  1. If there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, or a death; and
  2. If there is a connection between the serious harm/death and officer action or inaction.

If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred.

The IIO asks that any witnesses who have information regarding this matter to please contact the IIO at our 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 officers and detention guards in British Columbia. It investigates all incidents involving officers or detention guards that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
info@iiobc.ca

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