VPD officer charged after pedestrian hit by cruiser on E. Hastings in 2022
Posted September 8, 2023 1:49 pm.
Last Updated September 8, 2023 1:50 pm.
The BC Prosecution Service says charges have been approved against a Vancouver Police officer, after a pedestrian was hit in the middle of East Hastings Street in September 2022.
Const. Jack Zhao has been charged with driving without due care and attention, failing to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian, and speeding.
The charges stem from the incident that took place in the Downtown Eastside on Sept. 20, 2022.
Related article: IIO investigating after pedestrian hit by police cruiser in DTES
At the time, a video shared widely on social media showed a VPD cruiser driving east on Hastings Street before the vehicle hit a person who was standing in the road between Columbia and Main streets.
The Independent Investigations Office, which is called in any time an officer is involved in an incident that results in serious harm or death, notes the man who was hit sustained serious injuries in the collision.
“Upon completion of the investigation, Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald, KC, reviewed the evidence and determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe that one officer may have committed driving offences,” the IIO said in an update in July 2023. “As a result, and pursuant to Section 38.11 of the Police Act, the IIO has forwarded a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges.”
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CityNews reached out to the VPD on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, to ask whether Zhao was on active duty. In response, the department said he “is a serving member of the Vancouver Police Department.”
“We respect the independent jurisdiction of Crown counsel and the courts, as well as the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, which has independent authority to conduct investigations under the BC Police Act. We have nothing further to add,” the email adds.
The BC Prosecution Service says Zhao’s first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 28.
