‘No connection’ between officers’ behaviour and man’s self-inflicted injury, B.C. watchdog rules

The Nanaimo sign in Maffeo Sutton Park is seen in this undated file photo. (CTV News)

There was “no connection” between police action or inaction and the injury a Nanaimo man suffered while in police custody last April, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

The civilian oversight agency, which is tasked with investigating all incidents involving police officers in B.C. that result in death or serious harm to a member of the public, announced Wednesday that it had closed its investigation into the April 20, 2025, incident.

Around 12:40 p.m. on that date, Nanaimo RCMP officers arrested a man near his home in the city’s Sherwood Forest area, according to the IIO.

Following “an interaction” between the man and police, he sustained an injury while being taken into custody, the IIO said, adding that it later confirmed his injury was self-inflicted.

He was taken to hospital for treatment and survived the injury, the IIO said.

“The chief civilian director has reviewed the evidence collected by IIO investigators—including medical records, police reports and statements from the affected person and civilian witnesses— and has determined that there was no connection between police action or inaction and the man’s injuries,” reads the office’s Wednesday statement.

“The IIO investigation is now concluded.”