Manitoba RCMP officer charged following watchdog investigation

A RCMP officer has been charged with assault in connection with a 2024 arrest and injury in Portage la Prairie.

A Manitoba RCMP officer has been charged with assault following an investigation by the province’s police watchdog into a 2024 arrest in Portage la Prairie.

Const. Ryan MacDonald has been charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm, the Independent investigation Unit (IIU) announced in a news release on Wednesday.

The charge stems from an incident on July 21, 2024, where RCMP arrested a male suspect on a bicycle in response to a shoplifting incident in the city.

“While in custody, the male complained of having difficulty breathing and chest pains,” a release from the IIU said. “He was transported to the Portage District General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a punctured lung and hospitalized.”

The IIU began investigating the incident on July 23.

The charge against MacDonald has not been proven in court.