Investigators with the provincial police watchdog were in Burnaby last week, but this time they were investigating the conduct of Vancouver police officers.
Around 4 p.m. on Aug. 13, the Independent Investigations Office was notified a man died during an altercation with Vancouver police on South East Marine Drive near Joffre Avenue in Burnaby.
According to the Vancouver Police Department, officers were dispatched to South East Marine Drive, near the border between Burnaby and Vancouver, following reports of a man causing a disturbance in the area. When the first officer arrived and attempted to detain the man, police say he became agitated and more officers were sent to the scene.
Officers tried to subdue the man, but their attempts failed and an altercation broke out, according to a media release from Vancouver police.
During the altercation, the man, along with six police officers, was injured. Paramedics attempted to save the man, but he died at the scene. The six officers were treated at hospital.
The Independent Investigations Office was called to the scene, and investigators arrived shortly after 4 p.m. The canvassed the neighbourhood for some time, and are now trying to determine whether the man’s death was the result of police misconduct.
No other information is available at this time.
