IIO is Seeking Witnesses to an Incident at a Tim Hortons on Terminal Avenue in Vancouver (2020-292)
Case: 2020-292 Incident Date: November 26, 2020 Agency: Municipal Location: Vancouver Detachment: Vancouver Police Department Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Closed - With Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. – The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC is seeking witnesses to an incident in Vancouver that occurred in the Tim Hortons restaurant at Terminal Avenue and Station Street.
The IIO would like to speak to four individuals who were at the Tim Hortons between 6:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, November 26, 2020, and asks that they contact the IIO at their earliest opportunity.
Two women, believed to be there together, are described as in their 20s or 30s. One is approximately 5’ 5” to 5’ 9” tall (165 to 175 centimetres) and was wearing a black, knee-length jacket, black tapered pants, white sneakers and a black face mask. The second woman is about 5’3” to 5’8” tall (160 to 173 centimetres) and wore a grey hoodie, white headscarf, black sweatpants, white socks, black sandals and a black face mask.
Two men were also present during this time period, separately. The first man is described as being between 6’0” and 6’2” tall (183 to 188 centimetres), and was wearing a black hooded jacket, light blue or light grey baseball hat, black slim pants, brown boots, light blue disposable surgical face mask and has a goatee, shown when the mask was briefly pulled down. He may have also been wearing glasses.
The last man appears to be between 5’7” and 5’9” tall (170 to 175 centimetres), and wore a green rain jacket, blue jeans, brown boots, black hoodie, navy baseball hat, and a white disposable face mask.
The IIO is asking any person who saw, heard or recorded the incident, particularly the four individuals described above, to contact the IIO Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
Incident summary
According to the Vancouver Police Department, officers were called to the Tim Hortons as a man had been in the restroom for some time. When officers arrived at 6:00 p.m., they reportedly attempted to persuade the man to exit the washroom. When he did exit a short time later, an interaction occurred, and the man became unresponsive. Emergency Health Services provided medical assistance, but the man was pronounced dead.
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.