Four Saint John Police Force (SJPF) officers will not face charges after a man was injured during an arrest last spring.
An investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) has found the force used by officers was “not excessive.”
Officers were called to a local hotel on the evening of April 13, 2024, after receiving a report of an intoxicated man causing a disturbance.
“Four members of the SJPF arrived on scene where they found an adult male in the lobby who appeared to be intoxicated, was only partially clothed and was yelling,” SiRT said in a news release on Monday.
The man was placed under arrest for public intoxication and causing a disturbance and was brought back to the police station.
SiRT said the man became “combative” while being escorted to police cells and “raised his right arm” in the air.
Officers grabbed the man, who ended up on the ground, and placed his arms behind his back to “maintain control,” said the report.
“It was later confirmed by medical records that the altercation with the police resulted in the re-injury of a prior fracture to his arm that was still healing,” SiRT said in its news release.
Erin Nauss, the director of SiRT, said she is satisfied that officers acted reasonably in the circumstances and their use of force was not excessive.
“They were dealing with an intoxicated individual who was acting belligerent at the hotel and at the police station,” Nauss wrote in the report.
“Considering this behaviour, it was reasonable for the officers to have safety concerns when the [affected party] had raised his arm and resisted while being escorted to the cell.”
The full report can be read here.