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Police watchdog investigating after man seriously injured during arrest in Courtenay, B.C.

An RCMP vehicle is pictured in this undated photo. (File image) An RCMP vehicle is pictured in this undated photo. (File image)
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British Columbia's police oversight agency is investigating after a man was seriously injured while being arrested by members of the RCMP's emergency response team on Vancouver Island.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. says it was alerted to the incident shortly after it occurred Sunday, when the man reportedly produced a weapon and barricaded himself inside a residence in Courtenay, B.C.

The RCMP says officers from the Comox Valley detachment were called to the home at 1:42 p.m. after receiving a complaint that the man was causing a disturbance.

Police arrived and told the man he was under arrest before he reportedly armed himself and refused to leave, according to statements Tuesday from the Mounties and the IIO.

A standoff ensued and lasted several hours before the emergency response team arrested the suspect at 10:47 p.m.

During his arrest, the man sustained a serious but non-life-threatening injury and was taken to hospital for treatment, according to police and the oversight agency.

"Initial investigative steps will seek to determine what happened during the incident, and whether any police action or inaction was necessary, reasonable, and proportionate in the circumstances, the police watchdog said.

The RCMP says it is conducting its own investigation into the initial complaint and will not provide any further information about the incident to the public.

The IIO is an independent police watchdog that investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.

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