VPD cruiser seen driving against traffic almost hits oncoming car

Vancouver police say they’re “reviewing the circumstances” after a video showed a VPD cruiser driving in the wrong direction down a one-way street and almost hitting an oncoming car.

Edward Zhang says his wife was driving west along Dunsmuir Street when they crossed Burrard, where the road takes a slight bend.

“At first we didn’t notice there was a car travelling against traffic until it came really close to us,” he recalled, noting he was in the passenger’s seat at the time.

The incident was caught on the couple’s vehicle’s dash cam. It shows the VPD cruiser coming right at them, with the police car’s lights off.

Both vehicles are then seen swerving away from one another, with Zhang’s car almost hitting another vehicle to its right.

It was only as the near-miss was happening that Zhang says he and his wife realized it was a VPD car.

“And we were like, that doesn’t make any sense, because this is a one-way street for decades. The local police shouldn’t not know it’s a one-way street. We were quite terrified because we almost hit another car to our right,” he recalled.

“When he flipped the light, we were like, ‘You’re kidding.'”

He says he’s left with many questions, including why the cruiser didn’t have its lights and sirens on if the officer was responding to an emergency situation.

It’s unclear why the cruiser was heading in the wrong direction.

Zhang tells CityNews he has filed complaints with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) and the VPD.

The OPCC tells CityNews “confidentiality provisions contained in the Police Act” prevent the office from “disclosing that an investigation has been or may be initiated or releasing any information relating to an investigation under the Police Act.”

However, the OPCC confirms the commissioner “has been made aware” of Zhang’s video, adding, “even in the absence of a complaint, he can independently initiate an investigation in the conduct of police.”

“In this case, the OPCC is currently reviewing the driving behaviour of the member to determine next steps under the Police Act,” the office said.

Meanwhile, the VPD referred CityNews to the Motor Vehicle Act, saying Section 122(1) “outlines the circumstances in which the operator of a police vehicle may disregard rules and traffic control devices governing direction of movement or turning in specified directions.”

“B.C. Emergency Vehicle Driving Regulation outlines circumstances in which the operator of a police vehicle may disregard the provisions of Section 122(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act without activating lights and sirens,” the statement from Vancouver police continued.

“We are reviewing the circumstances of this incident to find out more information.”

Zhang says the OPCC reviewed his video and told him it was processing his complaint. As of Monday afternoon, Zhang said he had not yet heard from the VPD.

He says he would like to see police receive more training and would like an apology.

“My wife has a medical condition, she’s still pretty shaken up,” Zhang said.