No charges against VPD officers after man suffered collapsed lung, broken ribs
Posted April 28, 2016 4:00 pm.
Last Updated April 28, 2016 5:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Two Vancouver Police officers will not face charges after a man they arrested suffered a collapsed lung and two broken ribs.
The officers have been cleared by the Criminal Justice Branch.
It happened on October 2nd 2014, when police responded to a call at Granville and Davie Streets in Downtown Vancouver for some sort of a fight involving three men.
One of those men was eventually arrested, but police and that man had differing accounts of what took place.
The man says he complied when police told him to get on the ground. He admits he had seven drinks, but was not drunk. He claims he was needlessly kicked in the ribs and was not resisting arrest.
Police claim the man did not comply with their orders for him to get on the ground. They acknowledge they kneed the man several times while arresting him, but say it was reasonable and in line with their training.
A day after his arrest, the man went to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with two broken ribs and needed surgery for a collapsed lung.
The VPD does not has a specific policy on the use of knee strikes, but the report from the Criminal Justice Branch notes the force trains officers on various types of stunning blows, including knee strikes.
Click here for the full media statement and report.
