Advertisement

Vancouver officers assaulted during arrest of ‘combative’ man in DTES: police

Click to play video: 'VPD says officers faced angry violent mob while responding to knife fight in DTES'
VPD says officers faced angry violent mob while responding to knife fight in DTES
Vancouver police say their officers were met with an angry mob while responding to a knife fight on the Downtown Eastside this weekend – Aug 3, 2020

The level of violence Vancouver police officers say they are dealing with on a regular basis is once again in the spotlight following a tweet from Deputy Chief Howard Chow.

He says that around 7 p.m. Wednesday, officers were called to the Downtown Eastside, in the area of Columbia and Keefer Streets, after reports of a victim who was bear sprayed and struck multiple times with a hatchet.

Vancouver police say the officers struggled to take the suspect into custody as he was “very combative.”

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Chow says during the arrest one officer was punched and a second, who is 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, was slammed into the sidewalk on his back.

Story continues below advertisement

Police say the man continued to resist arrest, even when additional units came to help. He was eventually Tasered, which allowed the officers to take him into custody.

The man is still waiting for disposition for charges for assaulting a police officer and other weapons-related offences.

Sponsored content

AdChoices