The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), which oversees police actions, is conducting an investigation following an incident where a man sustained injuries during an arrest by Battlefords RCMP on October 6th.
According to a statement from the RCMP, officers attempted to intercept a vehicle that had entered a residence on Mosquito Grizzly Bear’s Head Lean Man First Nation at approximately 1 p.m. CST. This First Nation community is situated approximately 30 kilometers south of the Battlefords.
Reportedly, the vehicle did not comply with the stop request, and the driver was discovered to have a suspended license and an outstanding warrant. The driver was apprehended without resistance.
Inside the vehicle were two passengers, a man, and a woman. The man allegedly refused to exit when requested by the officers. Law enforcement forcibly removed him from the vehicle, took him into custody, and subsequently requested Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for further evaluation, as per the RCMP announcement.
The man was later released without facing any charges. However, it was later revealed that he required additional medical attention.
A relative of the man who was a passenger in the vehicle recorded the incident on her mobile phone and shared it on social media. According to her post, the man was pulled from the vehicle and handcuffed, resulting in a broken arm.
When contacted by CBC News, the family declined to provide comments on the incident. Mosquito Grizzly Bear’s Head Lean Man First Nation and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations have not yet responded to inquiries seeking their input.
Due to the severity of the man’s injury, SIRT was informed and has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the arrest.