An internal review of policy and procedures has cleared Greater Sudbury Police of any misconduct in a June 12, 2020, arrest that led to a fractured hand for the accused.
In October 2020, the province’s Special Investigations Unit cleared the officers of any criminal charges in relation to the injury.
On June 12, 2020, at 8:20 a.m., Greater Sudbury Police Service were called to 744 Bruce Ave. regarding a suspicious person.
Two plain-clothes officers responded to the call as they were in the area. The suspicious person was found sleeping on the ground in the parking lot. Officers woke up the person, who was identified as being wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant. The person was subsequently arrested.
During the arrest, officers handcuffed the person and searched him. The person stood up on his own shortly after the search was completed.
As the officers waited for another officer to attend and transport the prisoner to headquarters, the accused was held by his right arm by one of the officers. The accused then made a kicking motion with his left leg, at which point the officer brought him to the ground.
The other officer, who was searching the person’s backpack, helped control the accused on the ground.
When the third officers arrived, they took custody of the accused and transported him to headquarters.
Later that morning, the person had a swollen left hand. He was taken to hospital where x-rays confirmed he had a fractured left hand.
On June 12, 2020, the GSPS notified the SIU of the injury. The SIU invoked its mandate, as a fracture is deemed a serious injury.
The SIU closed the file as there were no grounds to proceed with criminal charges against the police officer in this case.
Greater Sudbury Police launched its own administrative review investigation, which determined there was no misconduct on behalf of the involved officers. The review also included an assessment of applicable procedures against the officers’ actions, an analysis of equipment used and performance in accordance with prescribed training.
“At the conclusion of the internal review, it was determined that the officers acted in accordance with training, as well as policy and procedure in relation to Use of Force and Arrest standards and there were no issues identified with the equipment that was issued,” said Chief Paul Pedersen.
