B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office has determined that Saanich police are not responsible for serious injuries sustained by a man who climbed over a guardrail and fell from an upper-level parking lot at Uptown shopping centre last month.
Shortly before 11 p.m. on Nov. 26, police, who were nearby on an unrelated matter, received a report of a shoplifter at the Walmart store in the mall.
The suspect ran towards the parking lot, where he was located by police.
Closed-circuit television footage, a civilian witness and police records show that when the man saw a police vehicle, he began to climb a fence, the IIO’s report said Wednesday.
“Video shows that the officer was some distance from the man when he climbed over and shortly thereafter fell to the ground approximately six to seven metres (20 to 25 feet) below,” the report said.
“There was no physical or verbal contact between the man and the police officer.”
The man was taken to hospital by ambulance.
After reviewing the video footage, witness statement, scene analysis and police records, the chief civilian director for the IIO determined police were not responsible for the man’s injuries.
The IIO is a civilian oversight agency that examines police-related incidents involving serious injuries or death.
cjwilson@timescolonist.com
