National

Vancouver cop charged after pedestrian struck in city's Downtown Eastside last year

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Sep, 2023 05:15 PM

Prosecutors in British Columbia have approved multiple charges against a Vancouver police officer a year after a pedestrian was hit by a police car in the city's Downtown Eastside.

Const. Jack Zhao has been charged with driving without due care and attention, failing to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian, and speeding.

The province's prosecution service says the charges were approved by an experienced Crown counsel who has no connection with the officer.

Alleged video of the incident on Sept. 20, 2022, that was shared by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, shows a person standing motionless in the middle of East Hastings Street.

A black police cruiser appears to hit the man without swerving and he is thrown about 10 metres as the car skids to a halt.

At the time the provincial Independent Investigations Office said the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Zhao's first appearance is scheduled for Sept. 28 in Vancouver provincial court.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Suspect charged in Cenotaph mischief

A 42-year-old man has been charged with mischief over an incident at the Cloverdale Cenotaph in Surrey more than five months ago. R-C-M-P say the suspect was arrested on July 18th over an incident in which the cenotaph's statue of a kneeling soldier was dismantled.

Suspect charged in Cenotaph mischief

Canadian evacuees tell of chaotic scenes in Maui wildfire 'war zone'

Canadians returning from Maui have told of harrowing scenes during their escape from the fire-devastated Hawaiian island. Among the evacuees was British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Matthew Taylor who drove through the ruined town of Lahaina on Thursday and said it resembled a "war zone."

Canadian evacuees tell of chaotic scenes in Maui wildfire 'war zone'

BC midwives and Province agree on 3 year wage increasing agreement

The new deal includes a series of fee increases and measures that the province says will provide more supports for Indigenous midwifery. A vote among members of the Midwives Association of British Columbia on July 31 garnered 99 per cent support for the agreement, with 89 per cent of eligible association members taking part in the ballot.

BC midwives and Province agree on 3 year wage increasing agreement

Harjot Singh Samra wanted Canada wide

Harjot Singh Samra, 27, was to report to his halfway house in Vancouver once he was released from prison yesterday, but failed to do so. Samra is 5’9″, weighs 252 pounds, and has a heavy build. He has brown/black hair with a balding hairline, and brown eyes.

Harjot Singh Samra wanted Canada wide

Collision between fuel truck and train in northern Alberta

Emergency crews are at the scene of a collision between a fuel truck and a train in northern Alberta. RCMP say its officers received a report of the collision on Highway 43, near the junction of Highway 32, in Whitecourt, which is located about 180 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

Collision between fuel truck and train in northern Alberta

Feds to provide wildfire update

Officials have already said Canada is experiencing its worst fire season on record, charring more than 130,000 square kilometres to date, which is more than six times the 10-year average. Natural Resources Canada said last week there were more than 650 fires burning across Canada, about two-thirds of them in B.C.