An investigation into an incident that resulted from a broken arm after four RCMP officers refused to cooperate has concluded, but not after a series of delays.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC says they were looking into the matter that occurred on Dec. 3, 2022, but say the officer’s refusal to cooperate with the investigation resulted posed a significant degree of difficulty in the investigation.
“The refusal to cooperate caused significant delays in the investigation,” the report says. “Circumstances where there was very little evidence other than of the officers themselves about which police actions had caused the harm are under investigation.”
According to the IIO, on Dec. 3, 2022, Duncan RCMP was one of many detachments participating in a National Impaired Driving check on Highway 1 near Green Road in North Cowichan when they stopped a vehicle with a sole occupant.
The report says the driver admitted to police they had consumed alcohol, but after the driver refused to comply and an altercation took place, which resulted in a broken arm that required surgery.
The driver was pulled from the vehicle, and placed under arrest for obstruction, and not long after, according to the medical report, he suffered fractures to both bones in his forearm because of the police interaction, but the IIO says the real cause of the problem was not the use of force.
“It’s unfortunate that the mechanics of his removal caused an injury to his arm,” the report says. “The real cause of the injury was the driver’s continued refusal to cooperate, not an unjustified action on the part of any police officer.
“Accordingly, I don’t consider that there are reasonable grounds to believe that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment, and therefore the matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.”
