Vancouver police respond to backlash over viral video of unarmed man's violent arrest

A Vancouver man who police say is involved in the Downtown Eastside’s illicit drug trade is in custody and facing new charges.

Video posted to Twitter Thursday by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users shows multiple police vehicles and officers surrounding a Black man near the intersection of Gore Avenue and Pender Street in Chinatown.

“Constables fired multiple beanbag rounds at the man and sicced a canine on him once incapacitated,” VANDU wrote as part of the caption of the video, which amassed nearly 83,000 views within 16 hours of it being posted.

In response to multiple witness videos and claims of improper conduct, Vancouver police wrote their own explanation of the events on Twitter.

“The man in this video is a high-risk and violent offender with a history of armed robberies, assaulting police and drug trafficking,” Vancouver police wrote before detailing the chain of events leading to his arrest.

According to police, officers patrolling the Downtown Eastside on Thursday recognized the man and were preparing to arrest him for a previous crime when the suspect got into a taxi and fled. Officers were able to follow the cab and get it to stop in Chinatown, where the taxi driver was able to escape to safety.

“The suspect initially remained inside the cab, before stepping out and confronting our officers.” Vancouver police wrote on Twitter. “He chose not to comply with our lawful commands to lay down on the ground. Instead, he turned to face the officers and challenged them to shoot him.”

An officer did shoot him with multiple bean bag rounds which police said was a “lawful, measured, and appropriate use of force.” According to police, the suspect is over six feet tall and weighs roughly 300 pounds, so the beanbags had minimal impact on him.

That’s allegedly why a police dog was deployed, allowing officers to gain control of the man and handcuff him.

“Once in custody, the man threatened to kill a number of our officers,” police said.

The online account ends with police assuring the man has been treated for dog bite injuries, remains in custody, and faces multiple charges.

Police Sgt. Steve Addison says despite the criticism, he’s satisfied with the way officers handled the situation.

“I think it was handled in a way that was lawful, measured and appropriate given the totality of the circumstances,” Addison said.

"I personally would not have done anything differently."

On Twitter, police said the man’s first adult conviction happened 10 years ago when he was 19 years old in Toronto. He’s since been convicted of 17 criminal offences – with May being his most recent, when he was sentenced to jail for assault causing bodily harm.

"When you understand the full context, when you understand the full story, you understand that the force that was taken and the actions that were taken were reasonable,” said Addison.

Despite the suspect's prior criminal history, Vince Tao with VANDU believes police used "excessive force."

"They're trying to build up this story, that he is a violent offender and thus he is considered armed and dangerous, despite (the fact that) the video clearly depicts he had nothing in his hands," Tao said.

CTV News has confirmed the Independent Investigation Office has not opened an investigation to look in to the officers' actions.