Vancouver police defend their actions in motorcyclist's arrest

Vancouver police are defending their actions after a video was posted to social media showing officers pushing a motorcyclist to the ground before handcuffing him. 

The video showing the arrest is time-stamped, 7:54 PM P.T., Monday.

Commenters have been critical of the force used by the officers making the arrest outside of Bayside Performance, a motorcycle accessory store, but the VPD say the officers actions were justified because the biker was putting the public at risk.

"He was not only putting his life, but the life of many others at risk of injury or death by operating a vehicle in a dangerous manner which is a criminal offence," said Const. Brian Montague in an emailed statement to CBC.

Montague said the motorcyclist, who police first observed at 19th Avenue and Fraser Street, endangered others by weaving through traffic and pedestrians and speeding past a park while evading police as it tore down Fraser Street.

The motorcyclist blew past two stop signs and fled from a marked police car on 43rd Avenue, according to Montague.

He described the eventual arrest as "quick" and said it was done to ensure the public would no longer be put at risk.

Arrest was 'heavy-handed' says store owner

But Bayside Performance owner Kevin Boisvert, who posted the video, believes police were unnecessarily rough when they made the arrest.

"It's not right for police to beat someone up. Maybe adrenalin was pumping. But it was heavy handed. They didn't have to keep kneeing him."

Boisvert said he was 20 to 30 feet away from the takedown and the police cruiser had no lights on until the last second as it came to a halt. The man shown being arrested in the video is a customer at his store, Boisvert said.

"I heard no siren. Lucas was riding a Ducati. They're extremely loud. He might not have known he was being chased."

In a Facebook post, a man named Lucas Moh says he is the person in the video and that he has been charged with dangerous driving, evading police, failing to stop, and speeding.

Police have not confirmed those charges. 

With files from Eric Rankin