THUNDER BAY — Ontario's Special Investigations Unit says there are no grounds to believe a Thunder Bay Police officer committed a criminal offence in an incident in which a prisoner's wrist was fractured.
The injury happened on March 24, 2020.
Police on patrol observed a vehicle being operated by a 32-year-old man with a suspended driver's licence and an order not to have contact with an individual who was a passenger in the vehicle.
After apprehending the suspect at a convenience store in Academy Heights, they handcuffed him and took him to the police station booking room.
When an officer removed the handcuffs from the man, he cried out in pain, and revealed he had just recently recovered from a fracture to his right hand.
"You re-broke my hand," he told the officer.
The man was taken to hospital where a new cast was put on his right arm.
In its investigation, the SIU concluded that "aside from the officer taking hold of the complainant's hands and maneuvering them in the handcuffing process, little if any force was used by the officer."
The SIU probe included an examination of video and audio recordings of the incident taken by cameras located in the booking room.
In his report, SIU Director Joseph Martino said "Regrettably, while it appears the complainant's right hand was broken at this time, perhaps the result of the same hand being particularly susceptible to injury as it was newly healed from a previous fracture, I am unable to reasonably conclude that the officer acted with excessive force."
This story has been updated to note the SIU's use of video and audio recordings as part of its investigation.
