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Police watchdog recommends charges be considered in Shuswap arrest that injured suspect

Arrest occurred on April 14, 2020 near Sicamous
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On Oct. 22, 2021, the Independent Investigations Office of BC filed a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges regarding an April 14, 2020 arrest near Sicamous. (File photo)

Reasonable grounds exist to believe officers may have committed offences in relation to use of force in an arrest near Sicamous, according to the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO).

On Oct. 22, 2021, the IIO announced it had filed a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges regarding an April 14, 2020 arrest.

On that day, RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious person on a forest service road off Highway 97A near Sicamous. Police believed the description of the person’s vehicle matched that of a man with several outstanding warrants, said the IIO.

When police located the man, he left in his vehicle before being stopped soon after. The IIO said the man got out of his vehicle and an interaction occurred which resulted in the man sustaining serious but non life-threatening injuries. The man was transported to hospital for further treatment.

“…Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald, QC, reviewed the evidence and determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe that the arresting officers may have committed offences in relation to the use of force,” reads the IIO’s Oct. 22 information bulletin. “As a result…, the IIO has forwarded a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges.”

One of the officers involved was from the Sicamous detachment and one from Salmon Arm, according to the IIO.

The bulletin noted, 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 prosecution must also be in the public’s interest.

Read more: Bicycle bandit: Salmon Arm RCMP investigating theft of black and yellow Norco Range


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