Two Vancouver police officers charged with assault and robbery in unprovoked attack of South Asian victim

Assault and robbery charges have now been laid against two Vancouver police officers following what the victim, Firoz Khan, described as a vicious and unprovoked attack during which racial slurs were made against him. Constable Jeffrey Klassen was charged with assault. Constable Griffin Gillian was charged with robbery. Klassen was a use of force teacher at the B.C. Justice Institute for four years. The officers were off-duty and Khan was delivering papers to the Hyatt Regency Hotel. A third officer present during the attack was not charged because the police believe that he tried to intervene. Two City of Vancouver workers witnessed the incident. According to an earlier newspaper report, the police will not be treating the case as a hate crime because Khan cannot identify which officer uttered the racial slurs.

The case is the latest in a number of incidents of serious violence and death involving police officers in British Columbia. See "B.C. Police Officers Under Scrutiny", Vancouver Sun (26/01/09).

Posted by Professor Tanovich