Police watchdog investigating after man seriously injured during Vancouver arrest

A Vancouver Police officer is pictured in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

British Columbia’s police watchdog is investigating after a man was seriously injured during an arrest in Vancouver over the weekend.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. says Vancouver police were conducting an investigation in the 300 block of East Hastings Street at 11:10 p.m. Saturday when a man approached the officers.

The Vancouver Police Department reportedly told the IIO that the man was arrested after “attempting to interfere with the investigation,” according to a statement Monday from the police oversight agency.

During the arrest, the unidentified man sustained “serious but not life-threatening injuries” and was taken to hospital for treatment, the statement said.

The IIO has opened an investigation into the incident.

The agency probes all police-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there are any allegations of wrongdoing on the part of officers.

Under the B.C. Police Act, “serious harm” is defined as an injury that may cause death, serious disfigurement or substantial loss or impairment of mobility of the body as a whole or the function of any limb or organ.

“Initial investigative steps will confirm the details of the arrest and if officers' actions were necessary, reasonable, and proportionate in the circumstances,” the IIO statement said.

The police oversight agency is asking anyone who witnessed or recorded the incident to contact investigators by phone at 1-855-446-8477 or online through the iiobc.ca website.