VICTORIA — Prosecutors say obstruction of justice charges won't be laid against two B.C. Mounties involved in arresting a man who fell down motel stairs and suffered a "significant" injury.
The Criminal Justice Branch says the officers responded to a complaint of a man swearing, shouting and banging at the motel in the Fraser Valley community of Hope on Aug. 25, 2014.
The branch says the evidence suggests the man accidentally fell down three or four stairs, and at issue is whether the officers made false statements in reports to the province's police watchdog.
That's because prosecutors say some evidence suggests one of the officers wasn't in place to see the man fall as he described in his police report.
Prosecutors say two civilian witnesses were inconsistent about where the officer was at the time, and as a result the Crown would not be able to prove the officer made a false statement in his report.
The branch says there is no substantial likelihood of conviction and obstruction charges won't be laid.