FILE PHOTO

(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

QUESNEL - A Quesnel RCMP officer accused breaking a suspect's wrist by slamming on the brakes of a police cruiser while transporting the man to the detachment won't be facing criminal charges.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has wrapped up its investigation into the incident that happened on Aug. 1, 2018.

According to a decision released today, July 18, by the police watch dog's chief civilian director Ronald J. MacDonald, a man in Quesnel was arrested for being intoxicated in public.

The man told investigators he awoke from a nap and went to the store to buy cigarettes. He was picked up by police for being intoxicated in public, and the man asked the police to “please be gentle” with his right wrist, as it had been injured. The man claims that on the ride to the RCMP detachment, the officer made a sudden stop which resulted in the man hitting his face on the partition and falling back onto his hand, which he says broke his right wrist.

The man was brought into the detachment and removed his jacket and necklace, throwing both over the counter with his right hand, investigators said in the decision. He was reportedly aggressive and loud, and when he was placed in a cell, he continually banged on the door with his right hand.

The surveillance video shows the man striking the door repeatedly with his right hand, but after a hard open-hand blow, he started to use his left hand, eventually only using that hand. He was seen comparing his wrists, and a watch clerk who was shown the man’s wrist at 6:37 a.m. claimed it did look misshapen. Another watch clerk said the man told him his wrist had previously been broken and showed him a three-inch scar where rods and pins had been put in place.

The man was released the next day to paramedics after complaining of chest pains. He was allowed to go home and asked to be dropped off there, but paramedics insisted on bringing him to the hospital. He did not see a doctor and went home, returning to see a doctor six hours later. The doctor determined his wrist was fractured.

The man claimed the police officer slammed on the brakes in front of the hospital, which is not on the usual route taken by police. It was contested by the officer and the witness officer who had arrived on the scene to help with the arrest and trailed in their own car. The officer driving the man was not made aware of the investigation until December 17, 2018, and couldn’t recall details of that night or any sudden stops.

GPS tracking determined the police cars did, in fact, take the route that the arrested man had stated. That discounted the legitimacy of claims from the arresting officer and the witness officer. However, GPS was not able to determine if the car had stopped suddenly.

The Independent Investigations Office concluded that the injury was likely sustained while the man was banging on the jail cell, or between the time he was released and when he went to the hospital and was not due to any wrongdoing by the officer.

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