Vancouver Police officers have been credited with saving the life of a stabbing victim, following last Friday’s assault at Main and Cordova Street.

Around 4:00 on Friday, February 21st, police responded to reports of a stabbing at Main and Cordova Street. When police arrived, they found a man on the ground, suffering from a life-threatening stab wound. Recognizing the seriousness of the victim’s injuries, officers applied a tourniquet to the victim’s upper arm, stemming the flow of blood.

Paramedics were called and the man was rushed to a local hospital where he underwent surgery.

“If the VPD member(s) had not deployed his TK (tourniquet) in an attempt to attenuate the bleeding, the patient would not have survived,” said Dr. Erik Vu of Vancouver Coastal Health. :It isn’t often VPD is given credit for saving a life – but this officer, and the training he received from you (VPD) and Force Options, deserves a lot of the credit that kept this individual alive.”

Police believe that the victim was targeted and the stabbing was the result of a fight between the man and an unidentified suspect. The case remains under investigation and charges have not been laid.

The Vancouver Police Department has been deploying officers with modified tourniquets since 2009. Patrol officers now hit the streets carrying the C-A-T Police Tactical Tourniquet. Training on the device is being provided to all front line officers through the Vancouver Police Force Options Training Unit.