British Columbia

B.C. police watchdog files report, says charges against Port Moody officer possible

The Independent Investigations Office has filed a report with the prosecution service for consideration of charges, saying a Port Moody officer may have committed an offence while making an arrest.

Report relates to 2021 incident where a man was seriously injured after he 'exited' a building from 3rd floor

Three officers with the lettering IIO on the back of their uniforms are pictured together at a crime scene.
Investigators with the Independent Investigations Office of B.C., the province's police watchdog agency, at a crime scene in February 2019. The IIO has filed a report with the prosecution service for consideration of charges after a man was seriously injured before being arrested in Port Moody. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

British Columbia's police watchdog has filed a report with the prosecution service for consideration of charges, saying a Port Moody officer may have committed an offence while making an arrest.

A statement from the Independent Investigations Office says police went to a man's home in September last year to attempt an arrest on outstanding warrants.

It says the man "exited'' the building from a third-storey balcony, where he was seriously injured in the fall.

The man fled on foot and police pursued him for a short distance before he was taken into custody.

The office says it "reviewed the evidence and determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe that an officer may have committed an offence in relation to the entry of the residence and arrest.''

It says the prosecution service must be satisfied there is a "substantial likelihood of conviction'' based on evidence gathered by the investigations office, and that the prosecution is in the public interest.