Vancouver police officer could face charges over takedown involving police dog

British Columbia’s civilian police watchdog has opened the door to potential charges against a Vancouver police officer on use of force grounds.

The Independent Investigations Office says it has filed a report with Crown counsel over the actions of the officer during a Sept. 20, 2020 arrest in East Vancouver.

According to the IIO, police were responding to a report of a man lying under a parked vehicle on 13th Avenue, just east of Clark Drive around 2:30 in the morning.

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The IIO said when police arrived, the man got on a bicycle and tried to leave. Officers pursued on foot, and the man was arrested with the assistance of a police dog.

“During the take-down and arrest, the man sustained serious injuries,” the IIO said in a media release.

A review of the evidence by IIO chief civilian director Ronald MacDonald determined there were reasonable grounds to believe an officer may have committed an offence during the arrest.

The file is now in the hands of Crown prosecutors, who will decide whether or not to approve a charge.

The IIO’s mandate is to investigate all police-related incidents that result in serious injury or death, regardless of whether there is any allegation of wrongdoing.