Police cleared in northern Ont. arrest that left woman with broken ribs

The province’s Special Investigations Unit. (File photo)

Police were not at fault when a stabbing suspect suffered broken ribs and a fractured sternum during an arrest in northern Ontario, the province’s police watchdog said Friday.

The incident took place May 5 of this year in Machar, a community south of North Bay. Because a civilian was hurt during an encounter with police, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) automatically must investigate what happened.

In this case, a man and a woman were having an argument in the early morning hours that escalated to violence. The woman grabbed a knife and stabbed the man “several times,” the SIU said.

At that point, the man called the woman’s mother looking for help, and the mother in turn called police. He then fled the house and was taken to hospital when emergency responders arrived.

Police called out to the woman, who came out of the home and onto the front deck. The officer went to handcuff her, “after which the two went to the ground,” the SIU said in its incident narrative.

“The (police officer then) handcuffed the complainant and stood her up. She, too, was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured sternum and broken ribs.”

SIU director Joseph Martino wrote that given the circumstances, there is no doubt police were within their rights to arrest the woman. What is not clear is exactly how she sustained the injuries.

“The evidence is discrepant with respect to the immediate events culminating in the complainant’s arrest on the ground,” Martino wrote.

“There are conflicting accounts as to whether immediately prior to the complainant being handcuffed.”

It’s not clear whether she tripped on one of the steps on the front deck, or if police pulled her forward off the deck, causing her to fall. She may have also resisted arrest, forcing police to grab onto her, causing the fall.

“On this record, I am unable to reasonably conclude with any confidence that any one scenario is likely to be closer to the truth than the other,” Martino said.

But under any of the possible scenarios, the officer would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

“There are no reasonable grounds to believe that the (police officer) comported himself other than within the limits of the criminal law in his dealings with the complainant,” Martino wrote.

“There is no basis for proceeding with charges in this case. The file is closed.”