WINNIPEG -- The moments that led to a man being hit by a Winnipeg police cruiser are detailed in the Independent Investigation Unit’s final report.
Manitoba’s police watchdog determined in March that a collision between the suspect and a police cruiser was unavoidable and accidental, adding that the officer shouldn’t be charged. But due to pending charges against the suspect, the IIU was not able to publish many details at the time.
On Thursday, the IIU said the court had disposed of the charges and released its final report. The IIU report lays out the facts and circumstances of the incident, using police reports, the testimony of a civilian witness, the account from the suspect, along with medical and injury reports, GPS data, and photographs.
According to the report, on Oct. 24, 2018, around 3 p.m., two officers were on general patrol in the William Whyte area when they saw a man they recognized. IIU said the officers knew the man had a warrant out for his arrest.
The officers called the man over to the car. The man said he told the officers, “they couldn’t stop him and he knew his rights,” before he took off running down Salter Street, the IIU report said. The two officers chased after the man, one on foot and one in the cruiser.
A civilian witness who was in the area around 3 p.m. told the IIU that he saw flashing lights. The civilian witness saw the cruiser driving slowly, “not even doing half of 50 km/h” he told the IIU – when a man dashed out from the side street and began running in front of the cruiser.
The officer driving the cruiser reported that she was driving approximately 20 km/h when she saw a man running across the middle of the road and before she could react, he ran into the side of her cruiser causing her to jerk the wheel. The officer stopped the vehicle and got out to chase the man, but found him on the boulevard holding his right leg to his chest and complaining that his leg was hurt.
The man was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured pelvis and a hemorrhage to his pelvic artery, the IIU report said.
“I am satisfied that the evidence gathered supports the singular conclusion that the collision between (Affected Person) and the police cruiser operated by (Subject Officer) was unavoidable and accidental,” IIU Civilian Director Zane Tessler writes in the report. “There is no evidence that (Subject Officer) intentionally drove the police cruiser at (Affected Person) or intended to cause him harm and injury.”
The IIU said no criminal or provincial statute charges should be attached to the officer. The IIU said its investigation is now complete and the file is closed.
This story has been updated to clarify that the officer was never charged and that it was due to pending charges against the suspect that the IIU was unable to publish details earlier.
