Officer may face charges after man falls from Port Moody balcony: police watchdog

Port Moody police say locals and first responders helped rescue several kayakers on April 4, 2021. (Port Moody Police Department/Instagram)

A police officer could face charges in connection with an incident last fall in Port Moody, an independent watchdog says.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said Friday it has sent a report to the B.C. Prosecution Service regarding a police-involved incident that resulted in serious injuries.

The IIO does not actually approve charges, but can decide whether to submit a report to the BCPS for its consideration. The BCPS will then determine whether charges are appropriate.

The case the IIO was asked to investigate occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 15. Officers with the Port Moody Police Department went to a residential building on April Road.

The PMPD said officers were there to arrest a man on outstanding warrants, but did not say what the man was wanted for or what led them to that address.

The IIO provided few details of what led up to the man's injuries, but at some point the subject of the call left the building from a third-storey balcony, fell to the second-storey roof, then hit the ground.

The man attempted to run off, but was taken into custody not far from the scene. He was seriously injured and needed treatment in hospital.

According to IIO Chief Civilian Director Ronald MacDonald, who looked at the evidence in the case, "reasonable grounds exist to believe that an officer may have committed an offence in relation to the entry of the residence and arrest."

The IIO did not say what that evidence is, or what charges, if any, would apply. The officer involved has not been publicly identified.