Police watchdog investigating after woman injured during arrest in Vancouver

BC’s Independent Investigations Office (IIO) has now been called in to investigate an incident in Vancouver, after a woman was injured by a police dog during an arrest this week.

In a release, the IIO said that on May 26, 2020, at approximately 12:45 am, VPD officers responded to a report of a man and woman engaged in an attempted robbery.

The pair were pursued using a police service dog (PSD) to the 700 block of East 57th Avenue, “where the PSD assisted in taking the woman … into custody.”

However, as a result of the incident, the woman had to be taken to hospital with what were described as “serious” injuries.

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Now, the IIO is asking for any person who saw, heard, or recorded the incident to contact the IIO Witness Line toll free at 1-855-446-8477.

The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in BC. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.