Vancouver Police Officer Recovering After Suspect Allegedly Lit Officers on Fire

A police officer uses a phone at a crime scene in downtown Vancouver on Sept. 4, 2024. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

A Vancouver man has been arrested after allegedly setting two police officers on fire as the number of attacks on law enforcement in the city has increased.

The incident happened on April 10 in the city’s Downtown Eastside. The two officers were doing foot patrols on East Hastings and Carrall streets, the VPD said. They attempted to detain a man for jaywalking, but the man ran off and the officers pursued him.

“As they were taking the suspect into custody, it’s believed the man used a flammable substance to set the officers’ uniforms on fire, then continued to flee,” an April 11 VPD news release said.

The two officers used radios to call for help and were able to extinguish the fire themselves.

Other police officers showed up and the suspect was caught “a short distance away,” the release said.

VPD said one of the officers was treated by paramedics and is recovering at home. The second officer was not injured.

The suspect, a 40-year-old Vancouver man, was treated in hospital for burns. He is currently in jail. VPD said the man is wanted on a province-wide warrant for 10 offences.

The VPD has also recommended new charges against the man, including assaulting a police officer with a weapon, obstructing a police officer, and breaching a release order.

Assaults Increasing

The VPD said the number of assaults on police officers on duty has increased 25 percent since January over the same period in 2024.

More than 35 officers have been assaulted while on duty so far this year, including an incident on March 5 where an officer was slashed in the leg while patrolling in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The suspect ran off, but was arrested a few minutes later. The officer was given emergency first aid and taken to hospital. He was later released and sent home to recover.

On March 27, a police officer was taken to hospital after an alleged assault while officers were responding to a 9-1-1 call in the Downtown Eastside.

The VPD said a 33-year-old woman was reportedly breaking things and threatening to hurt those in the area. She was arrested, and allegedly assaulted the officer after the arrest. She faces several charges, including one count of assaulting a police officer.

B.C. Conservative MLA and public safety critic Elenore Sturko said the incident in which the two officers were set on fire is “shocking” and blamed the governing NDP’s “anti-police agenda” for the growing number of attacks on police.

“This isn’t a one-off situation,” Sturko said in an April 11 social media post. She called on Premier David Eby to “restore real support for police and public safety in BC.”

The Epoch Times attempted to contact Eby for comment but did not immediately hear back.