B.C.’s police watchdog has cleared officers of wrongdoing after a raid on a Burnaby apartment building this summer that resulted in a man falling from an 11th floor balcony.
At about 10:40 p.m. on July 4, the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team moved in on the Sanders Street apartment to deal with an alleged hostage situation, according to police.
When police entered the residence, three men exited over the balcony of the 11th-floor apartment, police said.
While two men were arrested without incident on lower floors, one man fell to the ground and suffered serious injuries, police said.
The alleged kidnapping victim was located unharmed.
The Independent Investigations Office, which investigates police incidents that result in serious harm or death, investigated the case.
On Thursday it announced it had reviewed all of the evidence and relevant law and concluded none of the officers committed an offence.
Because there is an ongoing investigation into the alleged kidnapping, however, the IIO won’t release a detailed report on the case until after that matter is concluded.
“As the matter is before the courts, the IIO will not comment on the details of the case or the evidence considered in reaching this decision,” stated a press release.
None of the suspects being investigated has been identified.
