The B.C. police watchdog has ruled that officers acted appropriately during an eight-hour standoff in Courtenay in April 2024. The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) reviewed the incident and found no grounds to recommend charges. Chief civilian officer Jessica Berglund released the six-page report on February 6, 2025. The standoff, which occurred on April 7, 2024, involved Comox Valley RCMP and a man who was eventually arrested with several injuries. Berglund said the Emergency Response Team (ERT) used necessary and justified force under the circumstances. According to the IIO, there was no reasonable evidence that any officer committed a criminal offence. The investigation looked at the ERT’s use of chemical gas, impact rounds, pepper balls, a conducted energy weapon, and other methods to subdue the man.
On the day of the incident, neighbours called 911 to report a man shouting threats outside his home. He was under house arrest, allowed outside only on Sundays and Wednesdays between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. It was a Sunday when the calls came in. Police believed he was violating bail conditions after receiving incorrect information from dispatch. Officers went to his door, but he locked it, threatened them, and brandished a knife. The RCMP obtained an arrest warrant and called in the ERT to attempt crisis negotiations. For two hours, police tried to persuade the man to leave peacefully. He demanded contact with his lawyer, but the lawyer could not convince him to surrender. By the time police had a warrant to enter, they learned from a friend that the man had a gas mask and was threatening to kill officers if they came inside.
At 7:20 p.m., officers used chemical gas, which made the man cough. He hid in the crawl space, and infrared cameras detected his location. Pepper balls had no effect, and he ignored commands to drop his knife. When officers tried to use a conducted energy weapon, the sleeping bag he was wrapped in blocked the probes. At 9:36 p.m., he slashed at an officer through a vent but missed. Police fired impact rounds and used water hoses to dislodge the gas mask. The man regained the mask briefly but eventually dropped the knife after being struck in the hand.
By 10:47 p.m., he surrendered. Officers helped him to an ambulance, and paramedics treated a broken forearm, hand fractures, and other injuries. The man told investigators he knew he was not breaching his bail conditions and did not want police in his home. He claimed officers used a Taser on him 16 times, shot him repeatedly with impact rounds, and “tried to drown” him in the crawl space. He said he relied on his military training during the standoff. The IIO reviewed witness statements, police records, camera footage, medical evidence, and negotiation documents. Officers under investigation were not required to provide statements and chose not to.
Berglund said it was unfortunate the first responding officers were given wrong information about his bail conditions, as he was not actually in breach. However, she noted that the disturbance complaints gave police legal grounds for arrest. She concluded that the misinformation did not amount to a criminal offence but did contribute to a dangerous and traumatic chain of events. The IIO determined that officers acted within the law, given the threats, the presence of a weapon, and the subject’s refusal to cooperate. Berglund said police made repeated efforts to de-escalate and end the situation peacefully. She added that the combination of the man’s resistance and his ability to endure non-lethal force made the operation longer and more intense. Despite the outcome, she stressed that police were left with little choice in how to proceed during the standoff.
