Police dog bites an uninvolved officer, no charges laid: BC Prosecution Service

No charges have been laid after a service dog was mistakenly instructed by a Delta police officer to bite an uninvolved officer during a suspect chase, according to the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS).

The incident occurred in May 2021 while police were attempting to capture two suspects travelling in a stolen vehicle, BCPS says. The chase brought police to a residential area in Surrey where the stolen vehicle reportedly crashed into two civilian cars before the suspects fled on foot.

Police say they had been warned that the male suspect, who was wearing all black, may have been in possession of a firearm.

When police saw a different man dressed in black running through the front yard of a house, the BCPS says police wrongly assumed it was their suspect and that’s when the attack occurred.

The uninvolved officer who was attacked works for a municipal police force and was in his driveway when he heard the car crash take place nearby.

Despite repeatedly saying “I’m not involved,” he says police tackled and instructed the dog to bite him. He adds he didn’t hear any police sirens or see any lights, and none of the working officers were yelling “police” as they approached.

He says he was pushed to the ground and his leg was seriously bitten. In hospital, BCPS says the victim ended up receiving 12 staples to close his wound.

Following the incident, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) was instructed to investigate the actions of police due to the seriousness of the bystander’s injuries.

Despite the IIO finding “reasonable grounds to believe the officer may have committed offences,” the BCPS says it concluded there was not sufficient evidence to charge the officer who committed the offence.