2 Vancouver police officers escape serious harm after suspect sets them on fire
Man treated for burns and has been charged, police say
UPDATE, April 12 — Police say a man has been charged after two police officers were set on fire in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
The man has been charged with one count of assaulting a police officer, and one count of obstructing a police officer.
EARLIER STORY:
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says two officers were set on fire in the city's Downtown Eastside by a suspect trying to escape.
Police say the officers mostly escaped harm, but the suspect had to be treated for burns and is sitting in jail awaiting charges.
A statement from Vancouver police says the officers were on foot patrol when they tried to arrest a suspect wanted on a B.C.-wide warrant for 10 different offences.
The statement says the man ran, but the officers managed to take him into custody, and that's when it's believed he used a flammable substance to set the officers' uniforms on fire, then escaped.
The officers put the fire out themselves while other police nearby arrested a 40-year-old man.
One officer was treated by paramedics and is currently recovering at home, say police, and the second officer was not injured.
Police say they are recommending multiple new charges, including assaulting a police officer with a weapon, obstructing a police officer and breaching a release order.
Police say more than 35 VPD officers have been assaulted on duty so far this year, a 25 per cent increase over the same period last year.
With files from CBC News