Surrey police officer cleared after investigation into arrest that left suspect injured
The Independent Investigations Office found the suspect's fractured elbow resulted from his fall, not excessive force.
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A Surrey-based police watchdog has concluded its investigation into an arrest from October 2025 that left a man injured, finding his injuries were not caused by excessive force but by the manner in which he fell to the concrete sidewalk.
The Independent Investigations Office stated in a public report on Wednesday, July 8, by Chief Civilian Director Jessica Berglund that there are not "reasonable grounds to believe that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment." The matter will not be referred to the BCPS for consideration of charges.
The investigation stemmed from an incident on October 6, 2025, at approximately 8:40 p.m. in the 10700-block of 135A Street. A Surrey police officer observed two people having an altercation and pulled over his vehicle to intervene. The arrested man later alleged the officer had told him to "move on" after the altercation, but when he did not listen, the officer "got angry and attacked him." He also alleged the officer pointed a gun at him, but there was no evidence from witnesses or security footage to support this claim.
Two civilian witnesses provided different accounts. One witness stated the officer "stepped in and broke it up" and then the man "got serious with the officer and the officer took him down." Another witness described the man approaching the officer with his arms "flailing," at which point the officer took him to the ground in what they described as a "wrestling move," with the man landing on his elbow.
The affected person was later diagnosed with a fractured right elbow. The injury was serious enough to meet the Police Act definition of serious harm, triggering the IIO investigation.
