Vancouver police defend Downtown Eastside arrest caught on camera
Video of an arrest in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Thursday has become the latest flashpoint between police and a local community group.
In a video posted to Twitter by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), it shows a man standing next to a taxi with his arms in the air, surrounded by police. As he turns to face the taxi, officers shoot him three times with a beanbag gun, and the rounds can be seen bouncing off his torso.
The man in this video is a high-risk and violent offender with a history of armed robberies, assaulting police, and drug trafficking. He is involved in the Downtown Eastside’s illicit drug trade and, based on his violent history, is considered armed and dangerous. https://t.co/FATc1I8y8f
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— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) November 25, 2022
According to VANDU, a police dog was then released on the man, and officers kneeled on top of him for 10 minutes while he begged to be taken to the hospital.
In a long Twitter response, Vancouver Police Department describes the suspect as a high-risk and violent offender with a long criminal history.
They say they attempted to arrest him for an “unrelated crime” when he jumped into the cab and threatened to kill the driver if he stopped driving.
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Police describe their use of force as “lawful, measured, and appropriate,” adding the dog was deployed to “gain full control” of the man.
The suspect has not been named. Police say he is now in custody, recovering from dog bites, and facing a number of new charges.
In a statement to CityNews, VPD did not confirm whether a warrant was out for the suspect’s arrest, however, said, “The previous offence occurred on Granville Street, when the man allegedly breached release conditions. That matter is before the courts.”
The use of beanbag guns by the police force has come under scrutiny in recent months. In August, Indigenous man Chris Amyotte died after he went into “medical distress” after being shot by a beanbag gun on East Hastings Street. In September, a woman at BC Women’s Hospital was shot with a beanbag gun before being arrested after being in the hospital with a weapon.
