B.C.’s police watchdog continues to investigate an incident that occurred in Kamloops in May, which resulted in injuries to a woman.
According to a July 16 press release issued by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC, the incident happened during an arrest in Kamloops on May 4.
The IIO said an off-duty RCMP officer was in a store in the 2100-block of Trans-Canada Hwy East when he saw a woman hitting items on store shelves with an edged weapon.
The off-duty officer attempted to intervene, but the woman left the store and entered a second business on the property. The off-duty officer followed and continued in his efforts to engage with her, the watchdog said.
“On-duty RCMP officers arrived at the second store and an interaction occurred. During the incident, police deployed less-lethal force options and the woman sustained injuries,” the IIO explained.
The woman was taken to a local hospital but left against medical advice. RCMP officers later located her and took her back into custody.
“Following medical assessment, it was determined the woman had sustained injuries that meet the threshold for notification to the IIO.”
The police watchdog was notified the next day and launched an investigation, which is ongoing as of July 16.
“To date, IIO investigators have canvassed the area, conducted interviews, and gathered and reviewed other evidence, including medical reports and video footage, some of which comes from police body-worn cameras,” it said.
“The IIO expects to conduct further interviews as the investigation continues.”
The watchdog is asking anyone with relevant information or video footage of the incident to contact the Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.