IIO investigating case of man hospitalized after declining to wait for ambulance at RCMP detachment

Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this file photo from the IIO.

One of B.C.'s police oversight agencies is asking the public for help as it works to determine the severity of the injuries a man suffered over the summer and the extent to which police were responsible for inflicting them.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. issued an appeal for information Tuesday in connection to an incident that occurred on Aug. 12, but wasn't brought to its attention until two months later.

That morning, a Ridge Meadows RCMP officer was at a business in the 11800 block of 224 Street in Maple Ridge on "an unrelated matter," the IIO said in a news release.

A loss prevention officer at the business told the officer about a recent theft and pointed out the suspect, who the officer pursued into Memorial Peace Park, according to the IIO.

There, "an interaction" occurred while the man was being taken into custody.

"At about 11:45 a.m., the man was escorted to the Ridge Meadows detachment and an ambulance was called," the IIO release reads. "Around 12:20 p.m., the man was released from police custody. As the ambulance had not yet arrived and the man did not want to wait, it was cancelled."

Later that day, the man was taken to hospital in an ambulance, but he left without being seen by a doctor, the IIO said.

Finally, on Aug. 13, he was taken to hospital again and admitted. This time, he received treatment and left two days later, on Aug. 15, according to the IIO.

"The IIO was notified of the incident on Oct. 15, 2024, after the RCMP became aware the man may have sustained injuries meeting the IIO’s mandate, and the IIO commenced an investigation," the office's release reads.

"Initial steps will seek to confirm the extent of the person’s injuries and whether or not they meet the serious harm threshold, as defined by the Police Act, and if so, whether any force used during the arrest was necessary, proportionate, and reasonable under the circumstances."

The IIO is tasked with investigating all police incidents resulting in death or serious harm to a member of the public in B.C., regardless of whether there is any allegation of wrongdoing on the part of police.

The definition of serious harm in the provincial Police Act is as "injury that may result in death, may cause serious disfigurement or may cause substantial loss or impairment of mobility of the body as a whole or of the function of any limb or organ."

Anyone who witnessed the Aug. 12 arrest and has not already provided a statement is asked to call the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or use the contact form on the IIO website. The office is also looking for any video of the incident that may be available.