VICTORIA – B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO), is investigating a bizarre drowning in Port Alberni.
According to RCMP, the incident began at approximately 3 a.m. Thursday when Port Alberni RCMP received a call from a local business. The caller told police that a naked man, who was covered in blood, had just left their store and was now at a nearby carwash cleaning himself off.
When officers located the man, police say that the man began to flee police and refused to stop. He eventually ran into a nearby river, followed by police, where he drowned.
The IIO says that it is now investigating whether or not police actions or inactions contributed to the man's death. The watchdog group says that as the matter is now under investigation, no further information will be released by police.
Police have since recovered the man's body.
