The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating an arrest made by Red Deer RCMP that left a 28-year-old man “seriously injured.”
In a news release on Tuesday, ASIRT said on June 4 at around 1:10 p.m., RCMP saw a car with a licence plate that wasn’t registered to the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop.
Officials said the vehicle sped away, and while officers didn’t initially follow the car, police later located the suspect vehicle and began a pursuit.
During the chase, the vehicle drove on sidewalks and pathways in Michener Bend Park before officers stopped it by using a spike belt, ASIRT said.
The suspect ran away and an unmarked RCMP SUV hit the man, knocking him to the ground. ASIRT said the man quickly got up and jumped into a nearby river. The suspect was pulled from the water with the help of a service dog and the man was found to have sustained serious injuries to both legs.
ASIRT will be investigating the conduct of the officers involved in the incident and is asking anyone who was in the park at the time of the arrest, or has footage of the incident, to contact investigators at 403-592-4306.
ASIRT is responsible for independently investigating incidents involving Alberta police officers that have resulted in serious injury or death.