The province's police watchdog agency is looking for people who may have witnessed an arrest in Maple Ridge's Memorial Peace Park during the summer.
The arrest may have left a man with serious injuries that resulted in hospitalization.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia announced it is looking for people who may have seen the arrest on Aug. 12, or have video of it.
At about 11:25 a.m., a Ridge Meadows RCMP officer received a report from a loss prevention officer about a recent theft, and pointed out the suspect to the police officer.
The RCMP 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," wrote the IIO.
At about 11:45 a.m., the man was escorted to the Ridge Meadows RCMP detachment and an ambulance was called. Around 12:20 p.m., the man was released from custody. The ambulance had not yet arrived, and the man did not want to wait, so it was cancelled.
Later the same day, the man took an ambulance to the hospital, but left without being seen.
The next day, the man was taken to hospital again and received treatment before leaving the hospital two days later, on Aug. 15.
The IIO was notified of the incident on Oct. 15, after the RCMP became aware the man may have sustained injuries meeting the IIO’s mandate.
The IIO says first steps will seek to confirm the extent of the person’s injuries and whether or not they meet the serious harm threshold – injuries that could result in death, serious disfigurement, cause impairment of mobility, or impair a limb or organ function.
If the "serious harm threshold" is met, the IIO will investigate whether any force used during the arrest was necessary, proportionate, and reasonable in the circumstances.
The IIO is asking that any witnesses who have not already provided a statement, or who have other video footage of the incident, to contact them at their witness line, toll-free at 1-855-446-8477, or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
The IIO is an independent civilian oversight agency that investigates officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
