The watchdog agency that investigates serious incidents involving police is looking into the circumstances of an arrest of a 26-year-old man in Thompson who was later taken to hospital with a collapsed lung.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IiU) said in a Nov. 16 press release that they were notified of the Nov. 12 incident by Thompson RCMP the following day. Officers responding to a domestic disturbance call around 11:30 p.m. last Thursday located a male suspect who became unco-operative while they were trying to arrest him. Police deployed a conducted energy weapon (similar to a Taser) and he was taken into custody.
Thompson Fire & Emergency Services paramedics assessed the man and took him to Thompson General Hospital. He was later cleared and released into police custody then brought back to the hospital for further assessment Nov. 13. It was discovered that the man had a collapsed lung and he was admitted to hospital.
Internal injuries requiring admission to hospital are defined as serious injuries under IIU regulations and the agency will investigate what happened.
Anyone who witnessed the arrest or has video footage that could assist the investigation can contact the IIU toll-free at 1-844-667-6060.
