B.C.’s police watchdog is investigating after a serious incident involving Vancouver police Thursday night.
Just after 9 p.m. a distraught man in his 30s entered a McDonald's near Commercial Drive and East Broadway. He was carrying a gasoline can and threatening to harm himself.
Vancouver police spokesperson Sgt. Jason Robillard said officers negotiated with the man for around 40 minutes. However, negotiations were unsuccessful and the man lit himself and parts of the restaurant on fire.
Officers shot the man with a rubber bullet fired from an arwen gun, Robillard said, but he would not comment on exactly when the round was fired. Firefighters used a high-pressure water hose to douse the flames.
“We tried our best to resolve this as peacefully as we could. Unfortunately this male was hurt in the end,” Robillard said.
The man remains in hospital with serious burns.
Robillard said he is known to police.
“He has had interactions with police prior to this,” he said, but would not elaborate on the circumstances. “We can say there is a history of some mental illness.”
The Independent Investigations Office was notified and started an investigation “as the male’s injuries appeared to be serious harm.”
IIO investigators are on scene and any witnesses of this incident are asked to call the IIO at 1-855-446-8477.
