Thunder Bay officer not charged after July arrest injury, SIU reports

Ontario’s police watchdog says there are no grounds to charge a Thunder Bay police officer after a man suffered a broken shoulder during an arrest in July.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said there was no reasonable basis to believe the officer committed a criminal offence, in a decision released on Friday.

The SIU said the 24‑year‑old man was arrested on July 7, when Thunder Bay police executed a search warrant at a home in the city’s north end as part of a drug trafficking investigation.

The man complained of shoulder pain during intake at the Thunder Bay Jail and was later diagnosed at the hospital with a fractured clavicle, according to the agency.

The agency said while one account suggested the man was punched and had his arm twisted during handcuffing, another officer reported the man did not readily surrender his arms and force was needed to secure him.

The SIU determined that the evidence did not show excessive force, highlighting that the officers were acting under a valid warrant and within their legal authority.