Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu announced Monday that the force is recommending charges against two of the three off-duty officers arrested in connection with an attack on a delivery man in downtown Vancouver. (CBC)

Vancouver police are recommending charges against two of three off-duty officers accused of brutally beating a man outside a hotel on Burrard Street early last Wednesday morning.

Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu said Monday that a West Vancouver police officer will be charged with one count of robbery, while a New Westminster officer will be charged with one count of assault and one count of possession of stolen property.

Police said there is evidence the third man allegedly involved, a Delta police officer, may have tried to stop the alleged crime. He will not be charged.

The victim, 47-year-old Phil Khan, is upset the third officer will go uncharged.

"All three officers were involved in this incident, so it's only fair that all three should be treated the same."

Chu said during Monday's news conference that he expects the incident will hurt the public's perception of police.

"From the moment Vancouver police were called to the scene, many of us realized that this was a case that could polarize public opinion, shake their confidence in the justice system and offer every police critic a new platform to speak from."

The three off-duty officers are alleged to have assaulted Khan, a delivery worker, and robbed, kicked and punched him early Wednesday morning while he repeatedly pleaded for help.

Before charges were announced, Vancouver police interviewed nine witnesses, as well as the three Vancouver officers who were initially called to the scene in the 600 block of Burrard Street.

Forensic evidence was also taken from the scene but there was no video evidence.

Several witnesses have already spoken out publicly in the last week.

Pair heard screams

Phil Pilon and Netar Chima told CBC Radio they were driving in a city truck near West Georgia Street and Burrard when they heard screams.

Pilon said he stopped the truck and saw three young, fairly clean-cut and well-dressed people punching and kicking someone on the ground.

"I walk over there with my orange vest on, and more or less tell the guy, get off of him," Pilon said. "And the guy on the bottom is saying, 'Help! Please call the police!' And the people on the top say, 'We are the police.' "

Pilon then backed off and watched with several other witnesses as the alleged assault continued, he said.

"There were people standing around, and we felt helpless," Pilon said. "I can honestly say the feeling I had was a helpless feeling when I knew that the people that were doing this were police, and I felt like I couldn't do anything."

Witness recognized victim

Eventually, Pilon also realized the man on the ground was Phil Khan, a newspaper delivery man he had met several times over the years working the night shift in downtown Vancouver.

His partner in the city truck, Chima, said both men felt it was important to come forward with their story.

"We look up to police officers as role models … and that's why I'm speaking up," Chima said.

Vancouver police arrested three off-duty police officers following the incident. Their names have not been released.

Last week, Khan told the public he was beaten, robbed and racially abused for seven to eight minutes in an unprovoked assault. He also said all three assailants smelled of alcohol.

Despite Khan's accusations that racial slurs were made, police said they will not be treating the case as a hate crime because Khan was unable to identify the officer who allegedly made the racial comments.