IIO clears two VPD officers after man injured during arrest at downtown Tim Hortons

A Vancouver Police Department (VPD) patch is seen in Ottawa, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Two Vancouver police officers have been cleared of wrongdoing by B.C.’s police watchdog following an investigation into an April 2025 arrest that left a man seriously injured.

In a public report published Thursday, the Independent Investigations Office said the man was hurt during a physical struggle after resisting arrest, and concluded the officers were acting lawfully and did not use excessive force.

In an earlier IIO release issued the day of the incident, when investigators were seeking witnesses, the agency said police had been called to a disturbance inside a Tim Hortons near Davie and Howe streets.

The final report says police were called to the fast-food restaurant at 2:11 a.m. on April 10, 2025 after a staff member reported a man inside was “causing a disturbance, refusing to leave, breaking furniture and yelling.”

While several officers responded, the two at the centre of the IIO investigation were the first to enter the store and immediately arrested the man by “taking him to the floor and placing him in handcuffs behind his back,” according to the report.

B.C. Emergency Health Services was called after the man complained of pain in his left arm and chest.

The report said he was found to have a “moderately displaced spiral fracture of his left humerus,” which was treated with a splint and did not require surgery.

Because the injuries met B.C.’s legal definition of “serious harm,” the Independent Investigations Office launched a mandatory investigation into police actions.

As part of that investigation, IIO investigators reviewed security video recordings from the Tim Hortons, police communications and body‑worn camera footage, as well as statements from six witness police officers and three civilian witnesses—including one paramedic. They also examined whether the force police used was reasonable.

In its conclusion, the IIO determined the officers were lawfully carrying out an arrest and that the man was actively resisting at the time. The report found no evidence the officers used excessive or unreasonable force or acted in a reckless or dangerous way.