Fredericton police officer won’t be charged after woman’s injury during arrest

The waiting area of the Serious Incident Response Team, the province's independent police watchdog agency, is seen in Halifax on Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

The Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) says a Fredericton police officer will not be charged after a woman broke her jaw during her arrest earlier this year.

Officers were called to the woman’s apartment for a wellness check on April 4.

SiRT says the woman made comments about self harm and tried to barricade herself in a room.

The officers detained the woman under the Mental Health Act and took her to hospital.

SiRT says the woman was handcuffed and was not cooperative with police.

Hospital staff asked that she be taken from a waiting room to a more secure room.

While the woman was being escorted to the room by an officer, she allegedly resisted, fell, and hit her face on the concrete floor, breaking her jaw.

The Fredericton Police Force contacted SIRT on April 11 when it became aware of the severity of the woman’s injury.

SiRT says it has concluded its investigation into the incident and found no reasonable grounds to believe the officer committed a criminal offence.

SiRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

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