Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Vancouver police officer faces possible charges over collision that hurt pedestrian

VANCOUVER — The Independent Investigations Office is asking prosecutors to consider charges against a Vancouver Police officer whose vehicle hit a pedestrian in the city's Eastside last year.
37cd6f90eef14cb4f144d5b0417393f8d910ccc60449abddaa98ca97ce06eda6
A Vancouver Police Department patrol car is shown in Vancouver, B.C. on May. 31. The Independent Investigations Office says the decision to charge a Vancouver Police officer for hitting a pedestrian on Commercial Drive last year is now with prosecutors. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

VANCOUVER — The Independent Investigations Office is asking prosecutors to consider charges against a Vancouver Police officer whose vehicle hit a pedestrian in the city's Eastside last year.

It says in a statement that the officer was responding to a call on the evening of Sept. 29 when his vehicle hit the woman on Commercial Drive.

It says she was treated by firefighters at the scene, but got medical treatment on her own.

The civilian-led police watchdog says the VPD reported the woman's injury to the office a month later, and investigators concluded it met the threshold of "serious harm" under the provincial Police Act.

The statement says the police officer "may have committed an offence in relation to the use of their police vehicle" and it has filed a report with the BC Prosecution Service for possible charges.

It says charges will only be approved if prosecutors decide there's a "substantial likelihood of conviction" and if the charges are in the public interest.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2024

The Canadian Press