Assault charge approved against Vancouver police officer

The Vancouver Police Department's headquarters on Cambie Street are seen in a Shutterstock image.

An officer with the Vancouver Police Department has been charged with assault in connection with an on-duty incident last year, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Const. Riley Emerson Robert Wiens is scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court in August.

The charge was approved by "an experienced Crown counsel with no prior or current connection with the officer," the B.C. Prosecution Service said in a news release.

Authorities did not provide any details regarding the alleged assault except that it dates back to March 20, 2021.

B.C.'s police watchdog was called to investigate an altercation between an officer and a man outside the Vancouver Police Department's Cordova Street jail on that date, but ultimately decided not to pursue the case.

The Independent Investigations Office said the available medical information indicated the man wasn't seriously hurt during the altercation. The watchdog only investigates police-involved incidents that result in death or serious harm.

It's unclear which agency investigated the allegations against Wiens. CTV News has reached out to the Vancouver Police Department for more information, including whether the officer remains on active duty.

In April 2020, Wiens was involved in another incident that earned him and 32 other officers a commendation from Chief Const. Adam Palmer. A suspect allegedly started a fire in a nine-floor residential building, and officers "battled thick smoke" to evacuate the residents, including a senior who had to be carried down five flights of stairs, according to the commendation.

The suspect, who was allegedly swinging a chain and knife, was arrested from a third-floor balcony, where authorities sprayed him with a high-pressure water hose and shocked him with a Taser in order to bring him into custody.

The commendation does not specify what part Wiens played in the police response.