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Police watchdog investigating Victoria arrest that left suspect with serious dog bite

Dog used to help take down man VicPD suspected of Jan. 29 robbery
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The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is investigating the Victoria Police Department regarding a Jan. 29 arrest. (Black Press Media file photo)

B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office is looking into a Saturday night arrest that left a robbery suspect with a serious dog bite.

Victoria police officers responded to a report of a suspected robbery at a business near Quadra and Yates streets at 11:40 p.m. Jan. 29, according to information the department provided the investigations office.

When officers arrived, they found a man reportedly meeting the description of the suspect near the intersection of Quadra Street and Pandora Avenue. They used a police service dog to assist in taking the man into custody, during which he sustained a serious, but non-life-threatening, dog bite.

Emergency services transported him to hospital for treatment.

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) is asking any person with relevant information about the incident to contact the witness line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.

The IIO is an independent civilian oversight agency that is mandated to investigate police-involved incidents that cause death or serious harm. There does not need to be any allegations of wrongdoing for the IIO to conduct an investigation.

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