A Vancouver mother is claiming heavily armed Vancouver police took down her then 10-year-old son when the child was supposedly misbehaving at school.
A Nov. 10 B.C. Supreme Court notice of civil claim asserts a call to police brought multiple officers with "a shotgun, Tasers, riot gear and other visible weapons."
Some or all of the defendant officers pointed their weapons at the plaintiff, state court documents. The lawsuit said police used “grossly negligent excessive force.”
The notice of civil claim names as defendants the City of Vancouver, 11 police officers, Vancouver School District trustees and 17 other people.
The child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiance disorder.
The claim said that, on Nov. 12, 2021, the boy had tried to climb a fence and was prevented by a school assistant. The claim said the boy then ran away and encountered a vice-principal.
“The vice-principal reported the incident to the police, falsely alleging that the plaintiff was attacking the staff with scissors,” the claim said.
The mother arrived before police and was comforting her son. She said in the claim she attempted to explain her boy's medical conditions to the officers.
Further, the claim said, officers detained the mother in an office and wouldn’t allow her to see the boy. His father, meanwhile, was denied entry to the school, say court documents.
The documents said the boy dropped scissors out of a window at officers’ instruction after which he was restrained in a bear hug.
“In distress, the plaintiff began banging his head against a filing cabinet,” the claim said, noting the child’s parents were detained and unable to see him before he was taken away in an ambulance.
A Nov. 9 affidavit from the mother said the incident has harmed her son’s friendships and hampered his ability to learn.
She fears the impacts of him being identified publicly as a result of the legal action. She said the lawsuit is about protecting his rights and restoring his dignity.
The suit alleges the child suffered psychological trauma, intense headaches, bruising, skin marks, nose swelling, a shoulder injury, PTSD, panic, anxiety, depression, fear of others, flashbacks and sleep disruption, among other things.
The suit seeks multiple damages.
City spokesperson Angela MacKenzie said the city doesn’t comment on matters before the courts. A similar statement was given to Glacier Media from the school district.
Glacier Media has also reached out to the Vancouver Police Department for comment.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
