The province’s civilian police watchdog is investigating an incident in Parksville where a man who was arrested was found to have a serious injury.
The injuries were not disclosed and the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is looking into whether RCMP played any role.
Information provided to the IIO by the RCMP said on Tuesday night, police responded to calls of a man allegedly causing a disturbance in the 100-block of Island Highway West.
Police arrested the man and put him in cells at the Oceanside detachment.
Officers said when the man was being released Wednesday morning, he appeared unwell, so police contacted paramedics, who took the man to hospital.
At the hospital, the man was found to have suffered a serious injury, according to the IIO, which was notified of the incident on Thursday when police became aware of the seriousness of the man’s condition.
“Initial investigative steps will seek to confirm when and how the man sustained his injury, and if police played any role in his current condition,” the IIO said in a statement on Friday.
The IIO is asking anyone with relevant information or video footage of the Tuesday-night disturbance incident to contact its witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the IIO website at iiobc.ca.
The IIO is a civilian oversight agency of police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
