Crown asked to consider charges after police dogbites man during arrest in Abbotsford

B.C.'s police watchdog has filed a report saying charges should be considered after a man suffered serious dogbites during his arrest in Abbotsford.

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) says the incident happened after police received a report July 2020 that a man was barricaded inside a residence with a child.

According to Abbotsford Police Department,a police dog and RCMP officer from the Integrated Police Dog Service were used to assist in taking the man into custody. The man sustained serious but not life-threateninginjuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The IIO has filed a report saying, after reviewing evidence, it determinedthere are reasonable grounds to believe an officer may have committed offences in relation to use of a police dog during thearrest.

But it points out that for charges to be approved, the B.C. Prosecution Service must be satisfiedthere is a substantial likelihood of conviction and that prosecution is in the public interest.

The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia and investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.