The man mistakenly assaulted by two Vancouver police officers is launching legal action against the department.
Yao Wei Wu, 44, suffered a swollen eye, cuts and bruises after being injured by two plain-clothed officers responding to a domestic violence call on Jan. 21. However, they didn’t realize the house they were responding to had two residences with separate entrances – and the person they were looking for lived in the basement suite.
In a letter to Vancouver Police Department Chief Jim Chu and the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, lawyer Cameron Ward said Wu “will be commencing a claim for damages and personal injury against the City of Vancouver and those responsible.”
Former provincial NDP candidate Gabriel Yiu said he and others in the Chinese community urged the victim, who does not speak English, to find legal counsel.
Yiu said Wu is off work and does not have insurance to compensate him.
“The incident happened in front of all of the family members. The entire family is traumatized,” he told CTV News.
Yiu said uniformed police officers had visited Wu’s home several times and tried to encourage him not to seek legal counsel – after the group asked police not to.
“We think that is totally appropriate,” Yiu said. “It’s quite intimidating.”
In a letter sent Thursday, Wu’s lawyer asked Vancouver police to “please ensure that this inappropriate conduct ceases immediately.”
Vancouver Police could not be reached for comment.
One of the two officers involved has been reassigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu later personally apologized to Wu and promised a full investigation.
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner is monitoring the progress of the internal investigation.
