A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform after responding to an unknown incident in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver on January 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Republished July 05, 2021 - 3:06 PM
Original Publication Date July 05, 2021 - 12:21 PM
VANCOUVER - Two police officers have suffered serious injuries while responding to a call on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Const. Tania Visintin said at a news conference Monday that both officers were stabbed as they entered a suite while investigating a 911 call about the forcible confinement of a two-year-old child.
Both officers are now listed in stable condition, she said. One of them was scheduled to be sent home from the hospital Monday, while the other is in the intensive care unit but is expected to make a full recovery, Visintin added.
A struggle occurred at about 10 a.m. as the officers entered a residential suite and were confronted by a 59-year-old man, she said.
One of the officers managed to fire a Taser during the struggle and Visintin said the unnamed victim was also taken to hospital.
The child is uninjured and doing well, she added.
The stabbing is under investigation and the agency that investigates all police-involved incidents of death or serious harm has also been notified, Visintin said.
She said she could not give much information about the officers involved because of privacy reasons.
"We are so thankful that both of the members are in stable condition, but a serious incident like this not only shakes up members in our department, but the policing community as a whole," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2021.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2021