Alberta police watchdog investigates after man injured during arrest in central Edmonton

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been called in to investigate after a 38-year-old man was injured while being arrested by an Edmonton police officer late last month.

The incident happened at around 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 26, in the area of 97 Street and 103A Avenue.

According to ASIRT, an Edmonton police officer was driving in his marked police vehicle when he saw two men “apparently involved in a dispute over a broken window” on the west side of 97 Street.

ASIRT said the officer was arresting one of the men when the second intervened. As a result, the second man was also placed under arrest and a struggle ensued.

ASIRT said the officer used physical force during the arrest, which included his baton. The 38-year-old was taken to hospital where he was treated for a broken nose and bruising to his face, ribs and shoulder. He also had a chipped tooth, ASIRT said in a media release Wednesday.

Days after the incident, Global News spoke with the man who was injured in the arrest.

Justin Lafrance said he was working in the area when he heard a window break. Lafrance said he walked down the road to see what was going on.

“I got in front of the individual, I turned around to say, ‘Hey, did you break my window?’ And the cop – out of nowhere – tackles the guy. So the cop has no idea what’s happened at this point,” Lafrance told Global News on Dec. 3.

Lafrance said he waved down the police officer but he wasn’t sure who broke the window, so he was surprised by the officer’s quick actions.

“The second he had him cuffed, then he started coming at me,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The second he had him cuffed, then he started coming at me," he said.

“I started to back away and then I was hit with something, and then I blacked out from there. The next thing I know, I had a bunch of cops on my back cuffing me.”

2:00 Edmonton man says he was assaulted by a police officer

Lafrance is facing a charge of assaulting a peace officer.

Lafrance said he reported his injuries to police and made a complaint.

Earlier this month, Edmonton police said they were ordered by the director of law enforcement to investigate, and would not comment further.

ASIRT said no further information would be released as the investigation is ongoing.

ASIRT is brought in to independently investigate incidents involving Alberta police that result in serious injury or death to any person. The agency also investigates sensitive allegations of police misconduct.