WARNING: Details in the following story may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
An alleged assault during a routine traffic stop in downtown Vancouver on Tuesday night sent a police officer to hospital with significant injuries.
Police say two officers stopped a Dodge Durango that drove through a restricted area of Granville Street just before 10 p.m.
The three men in the SUV, all in their early 20s, were verbally abusive, refused to follow police direction and began reaching under the seat, police said.
When an officer opened the passenger door, the man in the front seat pulled him into the vehicle and two men punched him repeatedly in the head and face, police said.
All three men left the vehicle and continued to assault the officers, police said.
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One suspect fled the scene, running through a red light at Robson Street and Seymour Street and was struck by a vehicle. He continued to run until he was stopped by an officer and arrested on Richards Street.
This can be seen in the video above.
“These officers in this particular case were in plain clothes,” Sgt. Jason Robillard said.
“They did pull this vehicle over with their emergency lights on their vehicle, they did identify themselves as police officers and there’s no doubt in my mind that the three occupants in the vehicle knew they were police officers.”
WATCH: Three men are facing charges in connection with an assault that’s left a Vancouver police officer with, what’s described as, “significant injuries”.
Vancouver police say Crown counsel has now approved criminal charges against three men.
West Vancouver residents, Brendan John Robinson, 21, and Troy Michael Robinson, 22, are each charged with assaulting a police officer causing bodily harm, and willfully obstructing a police officer.
Brian Benjamin Allen, a 24-year-old Victoria resident, is charged with possession of stolen property under $5,000 for allegedly taking the injured officer’s cellphone.
The three men currently remain in custody.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call VPD investigators at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Investigators say they are particularly interested in any cellphone video.
— With files from Gord Macdonald
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