Vancouver cop could face charges in DTES pedestrian incident (VIDEO)
Editor’s Note: This article includes video footage that may be disturbing to some viewers.
An investigation by the police watchdog has ended and charges are recommended against a Vancouver police officer in connection to a high-profile incident in the Downtown Eastside last year.
A video of a pedestrian standing in the street seconds before being struck by a police cruiser was shared widely online. The man in the video was hurt, and the officer remained on scene.
Daily Hive edited the video — watch below.
It happened at 3:20 am on September 20, 2022, on Hastings between Columbia and Main streets and led to community outrage and questions surrounding speed limits in this area.
The Independent Investigation Office, which handles any serious or deadly incident related to an officer, issued its report on Monday.
“Upon completion of the investigation, Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald, KC, reviewed the evidence and determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe that one officer may have committed driving offences. As a result, and pursuant to Section 38.11 of the Police Act, the IIO has forwarded a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges,” the report reads in part.
The officer will have to wait until the BC Prosecution Service announces if any charges have been approved, and if so, which charges they could be facing. The Crown must determine if there is a high likelihood of conviction in order to take the matter to court.
In a previous statement to Daily Hive, the VPD said it trusts the IIO investigation “will shed light what factors led to the collision, including the reason why the pedestrian was standing motionless in the middle of the road, why the officers did not see the person, the speed of the police vehicle, and other contributing factors.”
Only one of the officers has been mentioned in the IIO report.
Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) shared additional angles of the scene and promised it would launch its own investigation into the incident.
3:24AM: @VancouverPD constable assaults first responder (in yellow) attending to the struck man, slams them into the concrete. Observers report that the responder’s equipment kit was broken in the process. (6/12) pic.twitter.com/PjpWvzm05p
— VANDU (@VANDUpeople) September 23, 2022
The group claimed first responders sped dangerously through the area to respond and into a crowd of people, and then assaulted another person.
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