Vancouver Island Mountie won’t be charged with assault: B.C. Prosecution Service

RCMP Generic pic

A Vancouver Island RCMP officer will not be criminally charged in a jailhouse incident that left a man with a five-centimetre laceration to his head last year, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.

The incident occurred at the Port Alberni cellblock on May 14, 2025, and investigators with the detachment recommended charges earlier this year, a statement from the BCPS released Wednesday said.

The civilian involved was being released from custody on that day, and is referred to throughout as the AP, which stands for affected person. The officer is not named, but referred to as the SO, which stands for subject officer.

“The AP initially refused to leave the cell and only agreed to after the SO squeezed his trapezius muscle (between the neck and shoulder) to rouse him. Once in the hallway the AP followed the SO and threatened to assault them,” the statement from the prosecution service said, summarizing the incident.

“In response the SO pushed the AP back into the cell and onto the cot in the cell. As a result of the push, the AP’s head hit the wall, and he suffered a five-centimetre (two-inch) laceration. The SO then approached the AP, pressed them down onto the cot whilst telling the AP not to threaten police officers.”

The BCPS’ statement said Crown considered three potential charges in relation to the three interactions comprising the incident but ultimately found there was not a substantial likelihood of conviction on any count.

The Crown’s assessment included reviewing CCTV video of the incident, which captured most of the interaction between the officer and the AP.

The so-called “trap-squeeze” came after the AP said he didn’t want to leave, according to the BCPS’s statement.

“I’m going to use pain compliance to rouse you if you don’t get off your ass,” the SO is quoted as saying, before the initial use of force.

The CCTV audio captured the AP’s response, which included the word “ow” followed by a brief barrage of profanity.

The shove that caused the head injury came after the AP told the officer he was going to “smash (him) up,” followed by another couple of expletives.

The officer, while pushing the AP into the cot, responded by saying, “Do not threaten police officers, do you understand me? Do you understand me?”

The AP replied by saying, “Yes sir.”

Paramedics were called roughly 45 seconds later and ended up using six staples to close the head wound.

The BCPS determined the use of force that caused the injury was defensible as a response to a threat.

“In these circumstances, notwithstanding the resulting bodily harm, a trier of fact is likely to conclude this use of force was reasonable, necessary, and proportionate in the circumstances,” the statement said.

The BCPS also determined there was not a substantial likelihood of an assault conviction for the other two instances, finding the officer also had a “viable defence” that his actions were reasonable, necessary and proportionate in the circumstances.