B.C. man alleges assault and racial abuse by 3 off-duty police officers
Phil Khan says he is 'very traumatized'
Last Updated: Friday, January 23, 2009 | 5:35 PM PT
CBC News
Phil Khan says he was beaten because he did not provide immediate help to a man who asked for directions. (CBC) The man who was allegedly assaulted by three off-duty Metro Vancouver police officers says he was beaten, robbed and racially abused.
Phil Khan spoke publicly Friday for the first time since the incident early Wednesday morning in downtown Vancouver.
Khan, who met the media outside his Surrey home, alleged that he was beaten for seven to eight minutes in an unprovoked assault and that the three assailants all smelled of alcohol.
Khan said he was working at the time, delivering newspapers, and was about to make a delivery to the Hyatt Regency Vancouver hotel on Burrard Street.
A man approached him and asked for directions to Broadway and Cambie Street in Vancouver, he said.
'They are telling me, 'We don't like brown people,' and [they] kept saying it and beating me.' — Phil Khan
"He says, 'Come here, you idiot,' and then I said, 'Take it easy,'" Khan said.
"I said, 'Let me finish this delivery first, and I will tell you how to go.' Then he kept on saying, 'You come here now.'"
According to Khan, the man then pulled Khan's jacket and started kicking him.
Two other men arrived in a taxi from a pub on nearby Granville Street and jumped into the fight, according to the cab driver who took them to the location outside the Hyatt hotel.
Zabida Khan says her husband can't sleep at night and she is worried about him. (CBC) The cabbie, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Yash, told CBC News on Thursday he called police at around 2:30 a.m.
Khan said the three men also racially abused him.
"They are telling me, 'We don't like brown people' and kept saying it and beating me."
He said he was crying out for help but was surprised by what the three men told him.
"They told me, 'We are the police. You don't need help. If you don't behave … we have a Taser,'" Khan said.
Khan said the men finally stopped beating him after some city workers and a cab driver came to help.
'He has injuries in his stomach, back, knees [and] hands. He can't sleep.' — Zabida Khan
He said he was robbed of $200 and that after being beaten, he told his assailants, 'I'm half dead anyways after you guys beat me up so badly. You might as well use the Taser and then kill me.' That's the end of the story."
Khan's wife, Zabida, said her husband suffered both physical and psychological injuries and remains "on heavy medication."
"He has injuries in his stomach, back, knees [and] hands. He can't sleep," she said, adding he has had two doctor's visits since.
The couple has three young daughters, aged between four months and 4½.
"We are a very quiet family. We live in a very quiet neighbourhood," she said.
Khan said he always has great respect for police, who are protectors of the innocent, but he is utterly "very traumatized" by the ordeal.
"I feel very afraid now … I have always liked my job … now I feel very different, very afraid," he said.
Officers suspended or reassigned
Three off-duty officers were arrested by Vancouver police as a result of the altercation. The officers belong with the West Vancouver, New Westminster and Delta police departments.
The officers' names have not been released, and no charges have been laid. Vancouver police continued to investigate the incident on Friday.
The three police services of which the officers are members will each conduct an internal review of the case. All four investigations will be conducted by police and overseen by the B.C. police complaint commissioner.
A 38-year-old officer with New Westminster Police Service has been suspended with pay for at least 30 days. He joined the force four years ago.
A junior officer with West Vancouver Police Department, and a patrol constable who has three years' experience with Delta police, have both been reassigned to desk duties.
In a statement issued Friday Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu said the public should have confidence in the police investigation of three officers.
"This investigation is being pursued aggressively and fully. We are in the process of interviewing witnesses and examining evidence, including any video that may have been recorded," Chu said.
