The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is asking for witnesses to a Courtenay arrest from January.
They say on January 5 at around 11:00 p.m., Comox Valley RCMP responded to a call about a possibly impaired driver in the 2300 block of Mansfield Drive.
Officers found the SUV in question in the parking lot of a hotel in the 2200-block of Cliffe Avenue, finding and attempting to arrest a man inside the vehicle.
“There was then an interaction between the man and police while they detained him, and the man suffered an injury in the process,” said the IIO.
“He was then taken to the hospital for treatment.”
As a result of this incident, the Investigations Office is investigating the arrest.
The IIO adds for this incident, they’re considering if there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm or death, and if there’s a connection between that harm/death and police action or inaction.
“If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred,” said the IIO.
“At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will also consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred.”
They are asking anyone who saw what happened but didn’t give a statement, or those with footage of the incident, to call the office at 1-855-446-8477.
