British Columbia

B.C. police watchdog investigates woman's death in fiery vehicle after arrest

RCMP have notified British Columbia's independent police watchdog about the death of a woman in a burning vehicle a day after she was arrested and released.

Woman taken into custody at her North Vancouver home after she allegedly threatened someone she knew

The back of a man wearing a jacket that says "IIO" in reflective tape.
The Independent Investigations Office, B.C.'s police watchdog agency, is looking at the role of police, if any, in the death fo a woman a day after she was released from custody. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

RCMP have notified British Columbia's independent police watchdog about the death of a woman in a burning vehicle a day after she was arrested and released.

Police say the woman was taken into custody at her home in North Vancouver on Tuesday after she allegedly threatened someone she knew.

Mounties say the woman was to appear in court at a future date, but the following day officers in Squamish, B.C., responded to a report about a vehicle engulfed in flames.

The woman who'd been arrested a day earlier was found dead at the scene.

The Independent Investigations Office will be conducting an investigation to determine if the actions or inactions of police contributed to the woman's death.

The office investigates all police-involved deaths and serious injuries in the province.