IIO Seeking Witnesses to an August 2024 Arrest in Maple Ridge (2024-240)

Case: 2024-240 Incident Date: August 12, 2024 Location: Maple Ridge Agency: RCMP Detachment: Ridge Meadows 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 British Columbia is seeking witnesses to an arrest that occurred in Maple Ridge on August 12, 2024.

At about 11:25 a.m., a Ridge Meadows RCMP officer at a business in the 11800 block of 224 Street for an unrelated matter received a report from a loss prevention officer about a recent theft and pointed out the man in question to the police officer.

The police officer followed the man to Memorial Peace Park. There was an interaction between the man and the police officer while the man was being taken into custody.

At about 11:45 a.m., the man was escorted to the Ridge Meadows detachment and an ambulance was called. Around 12:20 p.m., the man was released from police custody. As the ambulance had not yet arrived and the man did not want to wait, it was cancelled.

Later the same day (August 12), the man took an ambulance to the hospital but left without being seen. On August 13, 2024, the man was taken to hospital again and received treatment before leaving the hospital on August 15.

The IIO was notified of the incident on October 15, 2024 after the RCMP became aware the man may have sustained injuries meeting the IIO’s mandate, and the IIO commenced an investigation. Initial steps will seek to confirm the extent of the person’s injuries and whether or not they meet the serious harm threshold, as defined by the Police Act, and if so, whether any force used during the arrest was necessary, proportionate, and reasonable under the circumstances.

The IIO is asking that any witnesses that have not already provided a statement, or who have other video footage of the incident, 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 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.

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