The province’s police watchdog has cleared a Waterloo Regional Police officer of wrongdoing after a man suffered a broken arm during an arrest back in June.
The Special Investigations Unit says police responded to a call at the Laurentian Zehrs in Kitchener after a man allegedly walked off with a cart full of items.
An officer found the man behind the Staples store at the other end of the plaza and took him into custody.
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The man’s arm was injured as he resisted arrest while having been placed in handcuffs. The man was then taken to St. Mary’s General Hospital where he was found to have suffered a fractured elbow.
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“With respect to the force used in aid of the Complainant’s arrest, I am unable to reasonably conclude that it was excessive,” SIU Director Joseph Martino wrote in his conclusion.
“When the Complainant refused to voluntarily place his arms behind his back, and then struggled against the efforts of the (subject officer) and (one of the witness officers) to do so, he left the officers little choice but to apply physical force if they were going to handcuff him.”
The SIU is an independent agency that investigates incidents involving police that have resulted in death, serious injury or alleged sexual assault.
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