No grounds for charges after woman injured during arrest in Duncan, B.C., watchdog finds

Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this file photo from the IIO.

There are no “reasonable grounds” for charges against the officers involved in a 2024 arrest in Duncan, B.C., that left a woman seriously inured, the province’s police watchdog has determined.

The incident unfolded on the afternoon of Nov. 29, as officers from the North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP were responding to reports of a woman “waving a weapon at vehicles,” the Independent Investigations Office said in a news release Friday.

“There was then an interaction between the woman and police while she was being taken into custody,” the watchdog said. “The woman sustained a serious injury and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.”

The IIO was notified the following day and began an investigation.

The watchdog’s chief civilian director has since reviewed the evidence gathered, which includes witness accounts and police records, and decided not to submit the case to Crown prosectors for potential charges.

The director found there are “no reasonable grounds to believe any officer may have committed an offence,” according to the release.

No other details have been provided, including what kind of weapon the woman was allegedly waving or details on her injury.

The IIO said its public report on the case is being withheld due to an ongoing police investigation.

The report will be released on the watchdog’s website after that process has concluded.