Toronto, July 7 (IANS) Two police officers are likely to face criminal charges after a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) dog bit an Indo-Canadian off-duty inspector in British Columbia province, while pursuing a suspect two years ago.
Manjinder Singh Kaila, 55, was bitten by a police dog on May 29, 2021, next to his Surrey home, as the cops pursued a suspect, despite the victim yelling “it wasn’t me", the Global News reported.
Civilian police watchdog, Independent Investigations Office (IIO), has filed a report with the British Columbia Prosecution Service for consideration of charges, saying there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the officers may have committed an offence during the incident.
Kaila, who once worked as a police dog handler himself, filed a notice of civil claim in Vancouver Supreme Court in May this year, claiming he was 'violently' tackled by an officer and bitten by their service dog.
According to the Global News report, Kaila was standing on the driveway of his Surrey home at 9.35 p.m. when he heard a loud bang. He saw a pickup truck stop on his neighbour’s lawn and a man and woman run from the scene. That’s when several officers arrived with the police dog, he said in his lawsuit.
Kaila said he yelled several times, “I’m not involved, it wasn’t me,” with his arms and hands raised to chest level, adding that he made no threatening gestures or sudden movements.
The statement of claim named constables Sarbjeet Singh and Paul Baker, who were working with RCMP dog service at that time, according to Vancouver Sun.
Kaila said he was “violently tackled” by Baker, and heard Singh issue a command to the German Shepherd “in direct response to which the dog bit and mauled Kaila’s left leg and calf.
The lawsuit further said that the two officers ran off, leaving Kaila “battered, bloodied and unable to bear any weight on his left ankle". Kaila said the bite wound to his leg and calf required 12 to 14 staples and left a permanent scar. He also suffered ankle, calf, back and shoulder injuries and continues to suffer chronic shoulder pain that requires pain management and continuing treatment, including corticosteroid injections, the Sun reported.
Denying Kaila's allegations, the British Columbia government stated the two police officers “acted in good faith”, believing with reasonable grounds that they were engaged in a “high-risk situation with unknown persons who were adamant on escaping from police and had a propensity to become violent.”
“As soon as it was discovered that the plaintiff was not the male suspect, (the constable) disengaged the police dog,” the statement read. It further alleged that if the plaintiff did suffer any injury or damage, it could have been prevented or reduced had he not placed himself in a scene of active police response or failed to follow police instructions.
It's now up to the prosecutors in British Columbia (Crown Counsel) to decide whether to proceed with charges. The Crown Counsel will only approve charges if it believes there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO, and that prosecution be required in the public interest.
