A Vancouver police sergeant has been assigned to desk duty while he faces a charge of assault with a weapon. A Vancouver police sergeant has been assigned to desk duty while he faces a charge of assault with a weapon. (CBC)

A 20-year veteran of the Vancouver Police Department has been charged with assault with a weapon while on duty.

Sgt. Darcy Taylor was the first officer on the scene after a fight broke out in the 2200 block of West Broadway in the early hours of Aug. 23, 2009, police said at a news conference Monday.

One month later, a man filed a complaint against Taylor, alleging the officer struck him in the chest with a baton, said Insp. Mario Giardini.

"The Vancouver Police Department professional standards section initiated its own investigation, which led us to believe that there were reasonable and probable grounds that a criminal offence of assault with a weapon had been committed," said Giardini.

Giardini said the complainant was knocked to the ground by the blow from the baton but did not sustain any injuries.

The case appears to be unlike other incidents of alleged police misconduct, according to Simon Fraser University criminology professor Rob Gordon.

"Charges against officers are usually laid where there's serious injury that's been inflicted upon the victim," Gordon told CBC News.

It's likely there are special circumstances in this case that warranted the charge, Gordon said.

Taylor has been placed on non-operational duties and is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 14.