IIO is Investigating an Incident in Abbotsford (2022-253)
Case: 2022-253 Incident Date: September 8, 2022 Location: Abbotsford Detachment: Abbotsford Police Department Agency: Municipal 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 Abbotsford which resulted in serious injuries to one man.
Information provided by the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner indicates that on September 8, 2022, police responded to a call regarding an alleged theft and disturbance at a business on George Ferguson Way.
It is reported that when police attended, there was an altercation before the man was taken into custody. The man went into medical distress shortly thereafter, and Emergency Health Services attended and transported the man to a local hospital for treatment.
The man’s injuries were not initially believed to be serious, and the IIO was therefore not notified at the time of the incident. The IIO was subsequently notified of the incident on September 22, 2022 by the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner when their review found that the man may have suffered serious harm as defined by the Police Act.
The IIO is asking any person with relevant information, video or dashcam footage regarding 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.