Police watchdog deployed to Prince Rupert after woman hurt in 20-foot fall during arrest

B.C.’s civilian police watchdog has been deployed to Prince Rupert, where a woman was seriously injured during an arrest.

According to the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), RCMP officers responded to a call about an intoxicated man and woman in the 700 block of First Avenue West, near the community’s waterfront.

RCMP told the IIO that when they arrived and told the woman she was under arrest a struggle ensued.

The woman is then alleged to have jumped down a nearby drop, falling about six metres (20 feet).

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Police and paramedics provided medical assistance, and the woman was taken to hospital where it was determined she had suffered serious injuries, the IIO said.

The IIO will now investigate whether the officers’ actions or inaction played a role in the woman’s injuries.

Anyone who witnessed the arrest is asked to contact the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477.

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