NANAIMO — The province’s independent police watchdog says evidence suggests misconduct by an officer during a Ladysmith traffic stop.
The BC Independent Investigations Office said in its report an attempted traffic stop along Hwy. 1 on April 17, 2021 may have seen one officer commit an offence against the driver of a white Pontiac van, which failed to stop.
Officers used their police cruisers to eventually pull the van over and a police service dog was used to arrest a man inside.
He suffered serious dog-bite injuries during the arrest and was taken to hospital.
It’s the officer’s actions while driving and the use of the canine officer that the BC IIO is focused on, suggesting “that reasonable grounds exist to believe that one officer may have committed an offence”, according to a release from the organization.
A report is before the BC Prosecution Service, which will review the information and decide whether to formally charge the officer.
“In order to approve any charges, the BC Prosecution Service must be satisfied that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO,” the release stated.
No further information is expected from the BC IIO as the matter is before the court system.
The IIO is the province’s civilian oversight agency to monitor police incidents which involve serious harm or death, regardless of whether a complaint was made or not.
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