B.C. RCMP did not commit offence in shoplifting arrest in Maple Ridge: IIO

B.C.’s police watchdog says B.C. RCMP officers did not commit an offence in the arrest of a man whose leg was later found to be fractured.

In a report published Thursday, the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO BC) says police were at a Maple Ridge department store on May 12, 2023, when store staff pointed out a man who they say had repeatedly stolen from the business.

The officers determined the man had outstanding warrants for his arrest.

“When the [man] tried to leave the store through a fire exit, pushing a cart containing stolen merchandise, he was arrested after a struggle in a loading bay area,” the IIO said in the report.

“During this struggle, the [man] suffered an injury to his left leg.”

According to the report, the man had a previous injury on the leg “so was vulnerable to further injury.”

The man told the officers that his leg was hurt, specifically saying he thought it was broken, the report says.

“That information should have prompted the officers to sit him down on the sidewalk and conduct at least a cursory examination,” the IIO said.

“While the officers were not medical professionals, even a lay person, in these circumstances, may well have been able to observe a potential injury, and to realize that it would be unreasonable to expect the [man] to walk without significant injury, and to realize that it would be unreasonable to expect [him] to walk without significant difficulty.”

For that reason, the report said, the file will be referred to the RCMP’s professional standards department for review of these concerns.

However, the report says, this does not give reasonable ground to believe that the officers committed an offence at any point during the arrest.

“…there is evidence from a civilian witness that the [man] appeared to be able to stand normally, immediately following his arrest,” it said.

“There is also video evidence showing occasions when he appeared to let himself fall to the ground, which lends an air of reality to the officers’ stated belief that he was offering a form of passive resistance by exaggerating an injury.”

Given all the evidence, the IIO says it is not recommending charges against the officers.