229486
225777
BC  

IIO clears Victoria Police in man's hospital death after his arrest

Police cleared in arrest death

Victoria police officers did not use any force against a man who died last month in hospital after being arrested and held in VicPD cells, according to the province’s police watchdog.

Victoria police told the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. that officers responded to a report of a man causing a disturbance on the 600 block of Douglas Street on Nov. 20. The man was arrested, cleared by Emergency Health Services and taken to the detachment cells.

A couple of hours later, officers noticed the man had fallen from his bed and appeared to be unwell. They called Emergency Health Services, who transported the man to hospital where it was discovered he was suffering from several serious pre-existing medical conditions. He was not injured in the fall from his bed, according to the IIO report.

The man died in hospital the following day. His death was the result of his long-term health conditions, the IIO said.

The IIO’s chief civilian director Ronald MacDonald reviewed video footage, medical information, and a statement from an independent civilian witness and determined that officers acted appropriately.

“There are no reasonable grounds to consider that the actions or inactions of any officer played a role in the man’s death,” MacDonald wrote in his report.

“The speed of officers’ response to the man’s apparent distress and decision to call EHS immediately were appropriate and commendable under the circumstances, although it is unfortunate that those timely actions were unable to prevent the man’s death.”



More BC News

225429