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November 15, 2023 - 11:27 AM
A suspect in a stolen vehicle investigation was left with gashes on his face and arm after he was taken down by a police dog earlier this year.
BC's police watchdog has absolved RCMP officers of any criminality after investigating the incident that left the suspect in need of medical treatment.
The incident started in Kelowna on May 15, when a plainclothes RCMP officer spotted a stolen truck around 9 p.m.
The man behind the wheel was a known prolific offender who has previously used stolen vehicles to ram police vehicles to evade arrest, according to the Independent Investigations Office of BC decision.
He was one of three people inside the vehicle, accompanied by two women and the man who would later be taken down by a police dog.
Officers followed the stolen truck, asking the dog handler to join as the suspect vehicle drove to Penticton. Once in the South Okanagan city, the truck drove slowly, appearing to be on the lookout for opportunities to "commit property crimes," according to the decision.
At 3 a.m., police watched one of the suspects syphon gas, but waited until the truck stopped again near the airport to make the arrest.
It was around 3:50 a.m. on a dark road when the two men got out of the truck and three police vehicles drove in with their lights on. The two women, still inside the truck, were arrested without incident. The men, however, tried to flee.
The driver ran and hid on a residential property, only to be tracked later by a police dog. The other man, initially cornered, appeared to be making a run for it.
An officer at the scene told investigators the police dog lunged at him just as the suspect turned as if to run away, grabbing hold of his left arm.
The suspect was left with "serious lacerations" to his face and left forearm from the dog bites. He was taken to hospital, but did not provide information to investigators.
"The incident occurred in a very dark place, making it difficult for officers to see the suspects, and there were concerns about the possible presence of weapons," chief civilian director Ronald J. MacDonald's decision read. He said the officers were divided while chasing the fleeing suspect.
MacDonald concluded it was not an unreasonable use of force in the circumstances and absolved the dog handler of criminal suspicion.
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