An RCMP officer under investigation after a suspect was injured during an arrest in Portage la Prairie last year has been cleared of wrongdoing.

The suspect suffered a broken collar bone after the officer fell on top of him while making the arrest on Sept. 20, 2016.

Because of the seriousness of the injury, the Independent Investigation Unit looked into the incident and found no evidence that the force used to make the arrest was excessive or unnecessary.

The investigation found the officer noticed a car driving erratically on the morning of the arrest. After turning on the lights of the RCMP cruiser, the suspect ran off the road into the ditch, the IIU said.

Three people got out of the car started to run away. The report said the officer chased after and caught up to one of the suspects, grabbing him by the left arm.

The officer lost his footing and fell on top of the man. The suspect, who had been standing on top of logs in the ditch, felt his collar bone break when his right shoulder struck the log.

After he was handcuffed and put in the cruiser, the report said the man complained that he felt unwell. He was taken to hospital, where X-rays showed he had a broken clavicle.

The IIU Civilian Director Zane Tessler said the officer was carrying out his duties when he initiated the pursuit and that the suspect was trying to evade arrest. Although the officer used force which led to the injury, it was not unnecessary or excessive, Tessler said.