A Vancouver police officer and a suspect involved in a violent confrontation early Saturday morning were sent to hospital after an alleged attack on the officer, who was on patrol in the downtown east.
Around 8 a.m., an officer shot a man who allegedly assaulted him with a weapon while he was sitting inside a patrol car, the force said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
According to police, the officer suffered a serious head injury and was taken to the hospital.
The 53-year-old suspect is also in hospital with “non-life-threatening” gunshot wounds, where he remains in custody for the assault, police said.
Police said a second VPD member was later attacked by a bystander while attending the scene of the shooting, but was not seriously injured. The suspect in that incident was also arrested.
The suspect and the police officer were taken to the hospital with injuries after the confrontation. (CBC)
The VPD’s Major Crimes Section and BC’s Independent Investigations Office (IIO) are investigating. The IIO is the oversight body that reviews all police actions that result in death or serious injury.
The confrontation occurred at the intersection of Columbia and East Hastings streets in the city’s east center.
The IIO said in a statement late Saturday that police officers had seen a man brandishing a gun while driving through the neighborhood before the confrontation. They are asking anyone with relevant information to contact them.