The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C. has launched an investigation into an incident where man was injured while being arrested Esquimalt.
At about 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 9, Victoria Police responded to a report of a man with a weapon at a home on Dominion Road. According to the police watchdog, the suspect was taken into custody at the scene with the assistance of a police service dog, resulting in a serious, non-life-threatening injury that warranted a trip to the hospital for treatment.
The IIO, which was notified of the incident shortly after it occurred, considers two factors at the beginning of each of its investigations: if there has been a death or an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, and if there is a connection between the serious harm or death and police action or inaction. If both conditions are met, the IIO will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred.
The police act defines serious harm as an injury that "may result in death, cause serious disfigurement or may cause substantial loss or impairment of mobility of the body as a whole or of the function of any limb or organ."
The IIO is asking that any witnesses who have not already provided a statement, or who have video footage of the incident, to please contact the IIO toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
