Police Watchdog searching for witness after man tased in Downtown Vancouver
Posted October 22, 2019 6:04 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It was mid-afternoon on October 6th when police were called about a man who spat at a couple near Jack Poole Plaza.
That same man later attempted to touch a number of women inappropriately and was acting erratically when police arrived on the scene.
Ron MacDonald with the Independent Investigations Office says when officers approached the man he tried to resist arrest, and fight officers.
“They deployed a CEW, a conducted energy weapon which is more often known as a Taser,” he says. “And it actually caused something that he had on his person to catch fire.”
The man suffered first and second-degree burns due to the fire.
That man was arrested and hospitalized but it’s not clear if charges have been laid.
Photos from the scene show a potential witness who may be able to shed more light on the case.
“We noticed in one of those photos a woman wearing a royal blue jacket and dark pants,” MacDonald says. “We are hoping we will be able to identify her and have her come forward.”
That woman is being asked to call the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477.
