A man who tried to flee a Sudbury police bike patrol downtown appears to have broken his collarbone before he was chased down by an officer and taken to the ground. In any event, Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said there is no evidence that actions by Sudbury police exceeded their authority to take the man into custody. The incident took place July 7 of this year, when Sudbury police were conducting a downtown bicycle patrol. An officer spotted a 54-year-old man who was wanted on an outstanding warrant. Body camera video of the incident showed the officer chasing the man in a parking just after 3 p.m., who was fleeing south toward Larch Street. Still riding his bike, the officer grabbed the man by the right shoulder, but the suspect broke free. The officer then got off his bike and chased the man on foot. “The (subject officer) proceeded to grasp the complainant’s upper right shoulder and bring him to the ground,” the SIU said. “The complainant landed on his left side beside a parked vehicle. He curled forward and covered his head. The (subject officer) delivered three closed-fist strikes to the complainant’s right arm, after which he took control of the complainant’s right arm and pulled it behind the back.” During the arrest, the man repeatedly said that he had a broken collarbone. He told police that he had broken it two days earlier. Shoulder bruising “The (subject officer) visually inspected the complainant’s right shoulder, which showed bruising,” the SIU said. He was brought to police headquarters and police took pictures of his collarbone. By 3:50 p.m., emergency medical services arrived and took him away on a stretcher. The man returned, with his arm in a sling, at 8:34 p.m. In his decision, SIU director Joseph Martino wrote that the actions of the police officer were within the bounds of the law. “The strikes to the arm area by the (subject officer) were short punches delivered as the complainant had his arm by his head and the officer was trying to bring the arm behind the back,” Martino wrote. “While it is unclear whether they were strictly necessary, I am satisfied that they fell within the reasonable latitude afforded officers involved in physical encounters.” While it’s uncertain when the man’s collarbone was broken – it may have happened in a fall from a bicycle two days before his arrest – Martino wrote there was no evidence that police did anything unlawful. “The file is closed,” he said. Read the full report here.
