Two days after 26-year-old Vick Supramaniam was mauled by a police dog during a takedown in New Westminster, civil rights advocates are calling for a government audit of the Vancouver Police Department’s dog squad.
“It’s horrible that this has happened, it’s entirely preventable,” Doug King of Pivot Legal Society said.
Supramaniam was collateral damage in Monday’s police chase and takedown that targeted alleged suspects related to a double homicide and kidnapping in East Vancouver. He said he was driving to Home Depot when he heard sirens and pulled over. Moments later, his dark blue Mazda was smashed by a vehicle that was being pursued by police.
“I started seeing smoke going on in the white Acura,” Supramaniam said. “My instincts were not to stay in the car. What if it catches fire or something like that? I didn’t know where the smoke was coming from. The moment I got out, I heard shots. I took cover behind the bus stop bench.”
WATCH: Innocent victim speaks out after New Westminster raid (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)
The next thing he remembers is being attacked by a police dog.
Vick Supramaniam said his thigh was bitten and part of his left ear was ripped off.
“We need to start looking at police dogs more like Tasers and firearms — as a heavy use of force. They should really only be used in the most extreme circumstances,” King said.
“It’s not the dog’s fault,” criminal lawyer Neil Chantler said. “The dog is just listening to commands. The fault lies entirely at the hands of its handler.”
Pivot Legal Society has renewed its call for body cameras on dog squad officers.
In response, Public Safety Minister Mike Morris said he’ll “wait for the review of that particular incident before we make any comment.”
“They’re already very highly regulated and very tightly controlled,” he said of police dogs.
Meanwhile, the Independent Investigations Office has launched a probe into the incident.
They noted a woman was also hurt but that her injuries do not classify as “serious harm” so the agency is not investigating that case.
The IIO independently investigates any police-involved serious injury or death in B.C. to determine whether an officer may have committed an offence.
Vancouver Police told Global News it is inappropriate to comment while the IIO investigates.
– With files from Rumina Daya and The Canadian Press