Sudbury police cleared in case where suspect had broken knuckle

Greater Sudbury Police Service uniform crest. (CTV Northern file)

Ontario’s police investigation body has cleared Greater Sudbury Police of wrongdoing in a case last August that left a suspect with a broken knuckle.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was looking into an Aug. 29 incident that saw two people make multiple calls to police to complain about the other.

The suspect in the case called first, accusing the witness of breaking car windows. The 911 operator could hear the witness yelling in the background that it was the suspect breaking windows.

That witness called police himself a few minutes later to say the suspect was breaking windows with a hammer. He called again to say the suspect had snuck up on him from behind and stabbed him.

“He had locked the (suspect) out of his residence and he was bleeding,” the SIU report said.

“He said the (suspect) had a knife and that (he) lived on the street next to witness No. 1’s street.”

Not long after, the suspect also called police to say the witness had punched him in the face.

Police arrived a short time afterwards, forced him to the ground and placed him under arrest. The suspect had hurt his thumb prior to police arrival and an X-ray later showed he had a broken knuckle.

While it was unclear when the knuckle had been broken, SIU director Joseph Martino concluded that it didn’t matter. None of the evidence indicated excessive use of force.

“What little is known indicates that the (suspect) pulled away … as the officer took hold of him, after which he was forced to the ground and arrested,” Martino wrote.

“A takedown, per se, would appear a reasonable tactic given the (suspect’s) resistance and the possibility of a knife on his person. In that position, the officers could expect to better manage the risks of an armed and uncooperative arrestee.”

Read the full decision here.