The Vancouver Police Professional Standards Section has initiated an investigation into the actions of a plainclothes police officer who allegedly committed an assault by kicking a handcuffed prisoner in the chest. The VPD has also asked the Abbotsford Police Department to conduct an external investigation of the incident. The officer will not be deployed operationally until more information is gathered to determine the circumstances.
The investigation was initiated after the Professional Standards Section was made aware of a video that captured a brief portion of the police interactions with the male. The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner has been advised.
The incident occurred last night following a robbery call about 8 p.m. to a store where the thief made off with $150 in cash and $250 in merchandise. The man ran from the store but police were flagged down shortly after by a woman who said a man had tried to hijack her car. The hijacker’s description matched that of the robber. Later, more calls came in from people saying that a man was stripping off his clothes and trying to enter a residence in the 1500 block of West 15th Avenue.
Police found a naked man at that location, arrested him and had him transferred to VGH due to an apparent bad reaction to drugs. He was arrested for two counts of robbery. At VGH, he was treated for his drug overdose and then returned to police custody.
This morning, Ryan James Felton, 39, of Surrey, was formally charged with one count of robbery and made his first court appearance.
