Greg's twisted and self-serving ego condones the use of government force rightly or wrongly.
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Man beaten by police in case of mistaken identity 'Cops didn't clearly ask'; Vancouver police contradict story of resisting arrest
VANCOUVER - A 44-year-old man whose face was left swollen and battered after he was arrested in a case of mistaken identity did not resist arrest, Vancouver police said yesterday -- contradicting an earlier version of events offered by police.
Yaowei Wu is recovering after two plainclothes officers knocked on the wrong door during a domestic-assault call early on Thursday.
Officers were called to the southeast Vancouver house at 2 a.m. after a woman called 911 to report that her drunken husband had struck her in the back of the head and she was concerned for her baby's safety.
The officers apparently didn't realize there were two suites in the home and the complainant was actually Mr. Wu's tenant, who lives in a ground-floor suite.
"The cops didn't ask clearly -- not even ID me or anything -- before they started beating me," Mr. Wu said through a translator to the Ming Pao newspaper.
"I think they have an attitude problem."
Mr. Wu said that before he could ask who the officers at his door were, he was dragged outside and beaten.
"My T-shirt was torn," Mr. Wu said. "I was beaten for quite a while before I was handcuffed. [I] felt pain to my head and body. When I touched my head and face with my hands ... I felt my hands were all wet ... they were full of blood."
On Thursday, Vancouver Police spokeswoman Constable Jana Mc-Guinness said Mr. Wu had "resisted by striking out at the police and trying to slam the door, but the officers persisted in the belief that there may be a woman and child inside who could be in danger."
Yesterday at a news conference, police said in a statement that Mr. Wu did not resist the officers.
Mr. Wu's wife heard the commotion and told the officers she was going to call the police, at which time the officers identified themselves to her.
Three more officers later arrived, one of whom spoke Cantonese and was able to speak with the couple and explain they had mistaken Mr. Wu for their suspect.
Mr. Wu was taken to Vancouver General Hospital as a precautionary measure, where he was treated for bruises to his head, waist and knees and fractured bones around his left eye.
He was scheduled to return to hospital to ensure his eye wasn't damaged.
Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu later went to the house and personally apologized to Mr. Wu, promising a thorough investigation.
Officers also returned to the house to speak to the woman living in the ground-floor suite, who said her husband had hit her during an argument and then fled. He was located nearby and arrested for assault.
The Vancouver Police Department's Professional Standards Section will be conducting an investigation and the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner has been notified.
nationalpost.com |
