SIRT Concludes Investigation into Serious Injuries Sustained During Arrest

The Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) found no reasonable grounds to believe a member of the Cape Breton Regional Police (CBRP) committed a criminal offence in connection with serious injuries sustained by an adult male during arrest.

On July 22, 2024, members of the CBRP were conducting surveillance on an adult male who was in possession of a firearm and arrestable for other previous offences. Officers observed the male driving a blue vehicle with a female passenger. When he turned onto a dead-end street police attempted a traffic stop. The male attempted to flee while the female passenger, who had exited the vehicle, was hanging on to the open driver’s door. When police officers approached the vehicle, the male did not comply with their commands and revved the engine. Officers observed objects in the vehicle which could be used as weapons and in order to gain control, the Subject Officer delivered multiple strikes to the male’s body and face. When he was taken into custody moments later, a replica firearm was found in his waistband.

The male was transported to hospital by police, where he was diagnosed with multiple fractures to his face and released back into police custody.

The full report is available at http://sirt.novascotia.ca

The SiRT is responsible for investigating all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence or other matters of a public interest to be investigated that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Investigations are under the direction and control of an independent civilian director, who has the sole authority to determine if charges should be laid at the conclusion of an investigation.