The suspect was uncooperative, police say, and officers arrested him after using a Taser

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A dramatic and violent takedown by the Vancouver Police late Sunday near East Hastings and Cassiar is leaving some wondering if the incident may have been racially charged.

Police say they were called to the scene of a stabbing near a McDonald’s and bus stop just after 10 p.m., and tried to make an arrest.

“There was quite a big crowd there, There was a nearby music festival that had just gotten out and there were a lot of people on the street at the time,” says Sergeant Jason Robillard with the VPD.

The 22-year-old suspect, Jany Wan of Surrey, was uncooperative, police say, and officers used a Taser to take him down. They were able to make the arrest and retrieve the knife they believe was used in the stabbing.

WARNING: The video below may be disturbing to some viewers

WARNING: Disturbing video. Spoke to witness @anguishreid who is calling this altercation racist. Police tase a young man outside McDonalds on Hastings at Cassiar / Hwy1 around 10:15 pm. He wonders if police wouldn have reacted differently if he was white. @NEWS1130 1/ pic.twitter.com/cXqSMITcz6 — Lauren Boothby (@laurby) June 17, 2019

After the incident, posts to social media suggested the arrest was racially charged, as the suspect is black. Robillard says race played no role, and police were concerned Wan would head back into the crowd with the weapon.

“When we need to make an immediate arrest, it requires quick thinking from the officers and sometimes we do have to use force, especially when people are not compliant and that’s what happened in this case,” he says. “Sometimes officers are forced to use force on the street to do our duties, and oftentimes it doesn’t look pretty but it is necessary. In this case, there was a very violent incident that occurred just prior to this.”

Here’s @VancouverPD on the tasing arrest in a suspected stabbing at McDonalds last night. https://t.co/nJEE7IpR9o — Lauren Boothby (@laurby) June 17, 2019

The victim, 22 and from Langley, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening stab wounds. The victim and the suspect didn’t know each other, and it’s believed the incident stemmed from a minor verbal dispute.

Wan was also injured, though Robillard says it happened before officers arrived and appeared to be self-inflicted.

“There was a small cut on his hand and he was treated at hospital and released to the jail where he remains in custody,” he says.

Wan has been charged with assault with a weapon and appeared in court Monday morning.