A Surrey provincial court judge imposed a 60-day jail sentence, with credit for time served, on a man who pleaded guilty to motor vehicle theft over $5,000 after a Jeep joyride led to injuries during his arrest.
The Story
A man who took a Jeep for a joyride in Surrey has been sentenced to 60 days in jail, with credit for time served leaving him with 45 days remaining.
Court heard that on Aug. 21, surveillance video showed a man being arrested around 7 p.m. near Whalley Boulevard and 100 Avenue. The video shows an officer climbing on top of the Jeep and punching the man behind the wheel three times, while other officers responded to the scene.
The Jeep belonged to an off-duty police officer, court records said. The court heard the off-duty officer left the vehicle running and went into a building, and Duane Hansen then took the Jeep and drove away.
After his arrest, Hansen was left with a five-centimetre laceration to his left eyebrow and other facial injuries, the court heard. Hansen pleaded guilty to motor vehicle theft over $5,000.
Crown counsel Gabriel Edelson told the court that the circumstances of the arrest could be used as a mitigating factor and that the Crown took them into account when recommending the 60-day sentence.
Judge Jodie Harris said, “I am also taking into account of the circumstances of the arrest,” when handing down the sentence.
The evidence also included comments from retired RCMP officer Bruce Pitt-Payne, who questioned why a vehicle was left running and accessible and why officers responded in a “dangerous way.” Pitt-Payne said it is extremely dangerous for officers to crawl into a vehicle with a driver inside and noted that police officers have been killed doing so. He argued that such actions “should not be happening.”
The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner confirmed it is investigating the officers’ actions.
← More stories