Phil Khan told the media outside his Surrey home on Friday that he was beaten for seven to eight minutes in an unprovoked assault. (CBC)

Two Vancouver sanitation workers say they had to speak out publicly after witnessing an alleged attack by three police officers on a newspaper delivery driver near the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Vancouver last week.

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

Pilon said he stopped the truck, and saw "three people, that are younger, clean-cut, fairly well-dressed, what looks like 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'."

Called 911

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," said Pilon. "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."

Pilon said he thought maybe the men were undercover officers but eventually realized something wasn't right, and he shouted for someone to call 911.

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, Netar Chima, said both men felt it was important to come forward with their story.

"We look up to police officers as role models, and they can do this to a 50-year-old man with three kids? I don't know, I think this is wrong, and that's why I'm speaking up," said Chima.

Vancouver police eventually arrested three off-duty police officers from West Vancouver, Delta and New Westminster following the incident

Victim alleges assault unprovoked

Last week, the man who was allegedly assaulted by the three off-duty Metro Vancouver police officers told the public he was beaten, robbed and racially abused.

Phil Khan met the media outside his Surrey home on Friday and alleged that he was beaten for seven to eight minutes in an unprovoked assault and that the three assailants all smelled of alcohol.

A Vancouver taxi driver also told CBC News that he saw the alleged assault on Khan by three men who claimed to be police officers.

Vancouver police have confirmed they are conducting an investigation into possible charges against the officers and B.C.'s Police Complaints Commissioner is overseeing the case.

The West Vancouver, Delta and New Westminster police forces are also conducting three internal investigations into the incident.

The two officers from Delta and West Vancouver were reassigned to desk duties, and the New Westminster officer was suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigations.