No charges for OPP officer after woman suffers broken collarbone
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has wrapped up their investigation into an arrest in Fort Frances, which left a 29-year-old woman with a fractured collarbone.
The OPP officer in question will not face charges as a result. The SIU’s report says they were notified of the incident on September 27, 2021 at 2:17 p.m.
The OPP says the 29-year-old woman was arrested on September 27, 2021 at 2:16 a.m. for Trespassing by Night. The OPP’s dispatch report said officers were sent to Walker Avenue, where two people were found going through vehicles. A male was also arrested at the scene.
The SIU’s report says the complainant protested her arrest and refused to surrender her arms to be handcuffed, which resulted in the two falling onto a driveway. Afterwards, the 29-year-old complained of a sore shoulder and was taken to the La Verendrye Hospital in Fort Frances.
The complainant was later sent back to the police station due to staffing issues. She later returned to the hospital for an x-ray, where a fractured left clavicle was confirmed. The OPP says the fall likely resulted in the two fractures.
The SIU says there are no reasonable grounds to charge the officer, as the Criminal Code states police officers are immune from criminal liability for force used in the course of their duties, provided such force was reasonably necessary.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm. Their work will consider whether the officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident.
The SIU considers a serious injury as an injury that causes hospitalization, a fracture to the skull or to a limb, rib or vertebra, significant burns, a person loses a portion of their body, they experience a loss of vision or hearing, or the injury interferes with their health or comfort.
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