The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is investigating an arrest in Abbotsford that resulted in a man being injured.
The IIO says in a press release issued Thursday (Jan. 8) that the incident took place at 8:10 p.m. on Dec. 26, when the Abbotsford Police Department received a call about an alleged domestic dispute involving a man and woman.
The caller told police that the man and woman had gone into different units in an apartment building in the 2000 block of Eleanor Avenue.
"When officers arrived to speak to the man, it is reported that he attempted to leave. The man was arrested and taken to a local hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury," the IIO release states.
The IIO said it was notified of the incident shortly after. The agency is now investigating to determine whether the injury that occurred meets the definition of "serious harm."
Under the Police Act, "serious harm" is defined as "injury that may result in death, may cause serious disfigurement or may cause substantial loss or impairment of mobility of the body as a whole or of the function of any limb or organ."
If the IIO determines that the definition is met in this case, it will then look at whether the officer’s actions during the arrest were "necessary, reasonable, and proportionate in the circumstances."