Salmon Arm RCMP have been cleared following a complaint issued in 2015 from a person injured in an arrest.
The police watchdog, the Independent Investigation Office of BC (IIO), released a report on the incident July 6 which referred to a video recording that showed the force used was not excessive.
The incident occurred about 5:30 p.m on Dec. 28, 2015.
During the search of the complainant after his arrest, and prior to being placed in a police car, the report states he resisted an officer so was taken to the ground, where he suffered a fracture dislocation to his left knee.
He was released from custody and picked up by ambulance.
The police watchdog was notified eight months later by the RCMP when the injury was brought to the attention of senior members of the police force, as a result of a complaint.
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The IIO report states that, at the time, the first officer involved told two others that the complainant was so intoxicated he was a danger to himself.
It describes in detail how the man was injured:
“Officer 1 is shown to apply handcuffs and search AP (affected person). Officer 1 is then shown pushing AP against a wall and using his leg to sweep AP’s legs out from under him, causing him to fall to the ground. Officer 1 can be seen to prevent AP’s head from striking the ground during the leg sweep. AP’s right foot appears to catch against the wall, leaving AP’s weight on his left leg. As AP falls, his left lower leg is prevented form moving freely and results in the knee bending against the joint movement. As the officers assist AP to the police vehicle his left knee appears to bend backwards.”
The complainant did not recall the incident or the video-recording footage. He believed his knee was injured in police cells.
The Chief Civilian Director of the IIO concluded after reviewing all the evidence that he does not think the officer committed an offence, so the incident will not be forwarded to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.
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