No charges after man suffered ruptured testicle in arrest

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/03/2025 (219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province’s police watchdog says the Crown did not recommend charges against an RCMP officer after a man’s testicle was ruptured during an arrest and later surgically removed.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba released a report on the incident Thursday. Police told the IIU two officers had approached a pickup truck with no front licence plate in Stonewall late on Oct. 27, 2023, but the Ford F-150 sped off, nearly hitting an RCMP vehicle.

The vehicle was stopped a little more than an hour later, early on Oct. 28, after its tires were deflated by a spike strip. The male passenger said an officer either kicked, punched or stepped on his testicles when he was on the ground being arrested.

The officer, who declined to be interviewed by the IIU, said the man kicked him in the chest while on the ground and that he put the man in an ankle lock. The police watchdog noted inconsistencies between a video from an RCMP vehicle and a “supplemental report” the officer gave the IIU.

The IIU report also noted some events captured on video can’t be seen because of obstructed views and that the video appears to confirm the man, for the most part, was trying to co-operate with police.

“In this case, after considering all of the available evidence, the Crown has concluded that a reasonable doubt exists as to whether the officer’s use of force was excessive. Consequently, there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction,” the IIU report said.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca