Officer cleared after woman suffers cut forehead, says Manitoba police watchdog

A Portage la PrairieRCMP officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing after a woman in custody cut her forehead on the police station floor.

Manitoba's IndependentInvestigationUnit (IIU) says a 33-year-old woman was arrested in Long Plain First Nation on Aug. 12, 2017 after being pulled over for drunk driving. She was taken to the Portage la Prairie RCMPdetachment, where an officer tried to remove her handcuffs.

The IIUsays the woman resisted the officer's attempt to remove her cuffs, and stepped up onto a bench. The officer pulled her down from the bench and she fell, hitting her head on the floor, which left a cut near her eyebrow.

She was taken to hospital for treatment, said the IIU.

While she didn't suffer serious injuries, the IIU decided to investigate by interviewing the injured woman and two witness officers, reviewing the officer's notes and watching surveillance video.

"The video contradicted the information provided by the woman and showed the subject officer did not use unreasonable or excessive force in his dealings with her," IIUcivilian directorZane Tessler says in a statement.

The complete report can be found at iiumanitoba.ca.