Vancouver police officer charged after pedestrian struck in city's Downtown Eastside last year

Prosecutors in British Columbia have approved multiple charges against a Vancouver police officer a year after a pedestrian was hit by a police car in the city's Downtown Eastside.

Const. Jack Zhao has been charged with driving without due care and attention, failing to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian, and speeding.

The province's prosecution service says the charges were approved by an experienced Crown counsel with no connection with the officer.

Reported video of a portion of the incident on Sept. 20, 2022, that was shared by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, shows a person standing motionless in the middle of East Hastings Street.

A black police cruiser appears to hit the man without swerving, and he is thrown about 10 metres as the car skids to a halt.

The provincial Independent Investigations Office said the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Following an investigation, Ronald J. MacDonald, chief civilian officer of the IIO, found in a July decision that "reasonable grounds exist to believe that one officer may have committed driving offences."

The VPD said in an email that Zhao is "a serving member of the Vancouver Police Department."

"We respect the independent jurisdiction of Crown counsel and the courts, as well as the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, which has independent authority to conduct investigations under the BC Police Act," spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison wrote.

"We have nothing further to add."

VANDU said in Sept. 2022 that they believed the cruiser was travelling faster than the posted speed limit for that stretch of East Hastings, which is 30 km/h.

They called for accountability for the officer allegedly involved and better enforcement of traffic rules in the neighbourhood.

The Downtown Eastside has some of the most dangerous intersections in the province for pedestrians, according to data from the Insurance Corp. of British Columbia (ICBC), B.C.'s public auto insurance provider.

Zhao's first appearance is scheduled for Sept. 28 in Vancouver provincial court.