B.C.'s civilian-based police watchdog has forwarded its findings from the arrest of a suspected truck thief in Prince George to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.
The Independent Investigations Offices said Wednesday that its chief civilian director, Ron MacDonald, reviewed the evidence and determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe two officers may have committed offences during the arrest on July 30, 2020.
Police had been called that evening to a report from an in-vehicle tracking company that a truck stolen in Alberta was found in a parking lot near the corner of Old Cariboo Highway and Highway 16 East.
When they arrived, a man and two women who were in the truck fled into a nearby forest along Highway 16 East.
The two women were located a short distance away, while the man was tracked by a police dog team and taken into custody.
One of the women was released without charges and the other woman and the man were driven to the downtown Prince George RCMP detachment, where it was discovered the man was suffering from serious injuries and was taken to University Hospital of Northern B.C.
"In order to approve any charges, the B.C. Prosecution Service must be satisfied that there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO, and that prosecution be required in the public interest," the agency added in a statement.
Meanwhile, the trial for Cst. Joshua Grafton, accused of using excessive force in a Feb. 18, 2016 that was caught on a security camera from a nearby home continues later this month at the Prince George courthouse.
