IIO is Investigating Injury Sustained by One Man in Victoria (2024-047)
Case: 2024-047 Incident Date: August 30, 2023 Location: Victoria Detachment: Victoria 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 of BC (IIO) is investigating the injury of one man following his arrest by members of the Victoria Police Department (VicPD).
Information provided by the affected person, a man, states that at about 8:00 p.m. on August 30, 2023, police attended a residence 1000 block of Johnson Street where the man and a friend were having a disagreement. Police arrested the affected person.
The man reports that he sustained a serious but not life-threatening injury while being removed from the police vehicle to be lodged in VicPD cells.
The IIO was notified of the incident on March 6, 2024 and commenced an investigation. Initial investigative steps appear to confirm that the man’s injury meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act. The investigation continues to determine what role, if any, police actions or inaction may have played in the injury.
The IIO is asking any person who has relevant information about the incident to please contact the IIO 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.