IIO Seeks Witnesses to May 2024 Arrest in Vancouver (2024-107)
Case: 2024-107 Incident Date: May 9, 2024 Agency: Municipal Location: Vancouver Detachment: Vancouver 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 British Columbia is seeking witnesses to an arrest that occurred near the Granville SkyTrain station.
At about 1:35 p.m. on May 9, 2024, members of the Vancouver Police Department responded to reports of a man alleged to be acting aggressively towards another man while in possession of a weapon near the entrance to the Vancouver City Centre SkyTrain station (700 block of West Georgia Street). The man with the weapon is in his early 30’s, of medium build, has black hair, and was wearing a blue plaid shirt, light grey pants, and white shoes.
When police arrived, they located the man near a small plaza near Granville and Georgia. Officers subsequently arrested the man across the street from the Granville SkyTrain station entrance.
The IIO investigation to date has identified video footage showing that the man was struck by a non-police white car driving westbound on West Georgia during the incident, and that police used a conducted energy weapon (CEW, or ‘taser’) during the arrest.
The IIO is seeking to speak to anyone who saw or heard the interaction between the man and police between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m.
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.