Nanaimo RCMP officers were not acting unlawfully when a woman being arrested suffered a broken arm, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.
The police watchdog body released its report on Tuesday, March 25, regarding the incident which occurred last fall.
On Sept. 26 of last year, a woman was arrested in Nanaimo for causing a disturbance after someone called 911 to report concerns that the woman was hitting her head against a window, and the caller had concerns about the potential for further self-harm. According to a witnessing officer, the woman was allegedly heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident.
In the Independent Investigations Office determination, Jessica Berglund, the agency's chief civilian director, drew attention to a video recording from the RCMP cell block, which showed the woman becoming agitated when an officer attempted to search her and twisting her body in resistance. Once the woman's handcuffs were removed, her struggling intensified.
One officer was holding the woman's left arm and another was holding her right arm, and the first officer tried to bring the woman's arm behind her back while the other attempted to lift the woman by her armpits.
"[The first officer] told the Independent Investigations Office that at that moment he heard a clearly audible snapping sound, and saw the arrested person's left arm go limp," the report noted.
The IIO concluded that the officers acted lawfully in detaining the woman until she was potentially charged or sober. As part of the process, the officers were justified to use a "necessary degree of force" to permit the officer to carry out a required search.
"It is unfortunate that in the course of the [arrested person's] struggles and the subject officers' attempts to control her 鈥� her left arm was twisted in a manner that caused it to be injured," the report added. "There is no evidence, though, that the injury was caused by any excessive or unreasonable force applied by any officer."
