The Vancouver Police Department has notified the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia after a suspect was shot by an officer while being arrested in East Vancouver.The unidentified suspect was allegedly armed and in the process of stealing a vehicle when police opened fire.According to the VPD, shortly after 4 a.m. on Sunday, a security guard called 911 and reported that his car had been stolen by a stranger armed with a knife and broken glass bottle at Prior St. and Milross Ave., two blocks northeast of Science World. Police were able to track the vehicle down to Slocan St. and East 23rd Ave. 25 minutes later, with the suspect still behind the wheel. Upon discovering the car, officers arrested the suspect, however there was a struggle and an officer fired shots. The suspect was struck in the arm, and rushed to hospital, where they are in custody under police guard. No officers were harmed. The suspect was subsequently charged with robbery, as well as weapons and driving offences. The VPD noted that, under Section 25 of the Criminal Code of Canada, officers have the authority to use "reasonable and necessary force when carrying out their lawful duties," but that incidents that result in a member of the public being injured must be looked into by a civilian oversight authority.The IIO will now investigate the actions of police, however until their work is done, no further information will be released.
