Forced used before fatal overdose in Langley was appropriate: police watchdog

A file photo of an RCMP cruiser. (Sean Amato/CTV News Edmonton)

B.C.'s police watchdog says there are no grounds to charge officers who fought with a man shortly before he died of a drug overdose in Langley.

The Independent Investigations Office says police responding to a dropped emergency cellphone call in October 2019 found the man in a drug-induced state.

It says he resisted police efforts to get him necessary medical assistance but there is no evidence of any significant injury from the struggle.

The IIO says that suggests police used only an appropriate amount of force.