The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is looking into an incident in Esquimalt after a man was injured during an arrest on Thursday evening.
According to an IIO release, VicPD officers responded to a report of a man with a weapon at a home on Dominion Road around 5:30 p.m. on October 9th.
The man was taken into custody with the help of a police service dog. He sustained a serious but not life-threatening injury during the arrest and was transported to hospital.
The IIO, BC’s civilian oversight agency for police, was notified shortly after the incident and has launched an investigation.
At the start of each investigation, the IIO determines whether an injury meets the Police Act’s definition of “serious harm” and whether there is a connection between the injury and police actions or inaction.
If both conditions are met, the investigation proceeds to review all available evidence to determine what occurred.
Once complete, the chief civilian director will assess whether there are reasonable grounds to believe an offence may have been committed.
Victoria Buzz has reached out to VicPD for comment and will update this story when we receive a response.
The IIO is asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has video footage to contact investigators through the Witness Line at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on iiobc.ca.
