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IIO investigating legality of Vancouver police actions in Christmas Eve arrest

Watchdog says suspect wasn’t seriously hurt, but officer actions may not have been lawful
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A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer’s uniform in Vancouver, on Saturday, January 9, 2021. The IIO is investigating an arrest by members of the department from Dec. 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C.’s police watchdog has ordered a special investigation into a Christmas Eve arrest in Vancouver.

Multiple officers from the Vancouver Police Department were called to a downtown restaurant in the 600-block of Dunsmuir Street on Dec. 24 after a man reportedly refused to leave. When officers arrived around 9 p.m., the man still wouldn’t go and there was an interaction between him and police.

Normally, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C. only looks into officer-involved incidents that result in serious harm or death. In this case, the office says the suspect wasn’t seriously injured, but it’s concerned officer actions may not have been lawful.

The IIO says it decided to pursue an investigation after it received new information about what happened this month.

The VPD didn’t release a statement about the incident at the time it happened, and the IIO won’t be releasing further details while its investigation is underway.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the watchdog at 1-855-446-8477 or on its website iiobc.ca.

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