Cop cleared after man hurt after being pulled from donation bin

The province’s police watchdog says officers acted reasonably while arresting a man armed with a hatchet who was injured while being pulled from a clothing donation bin.

City police were sent to the 3300 block of Portage Avenue shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 after receiving multiple reports of a man acting erratically, waving a hatchet around and smashing a glass bus shack in the area of Portage Avenue and Parkdale Street.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba said in its report on the incident, released Tuesday, that officers found the man climbing into a bin while armed with the weapon.

“When officers pulled the male from the bin, he resisted arrest,” the IIU said, adding a brief use-of-force encounter — described as several knee strikes to the upper torso and one or two punches to the head by one officer — followed.

The man complained of soreness in his rib area, and a small cut above his right eye was visible, but he declined medical attention, police told the IIU.

The paramedic on duty at Winnipeg Police Service headquarters said the man needed medical attention, and he was taken to Grace Hospital. A doctor there indicated the man had likely suffered a minor rib fracture.

The injured man is homeless and listed his permanent address as the N’Dinawemak shelter. The IIU said it tried to reach him but was unsuccessful.

The IIU’s civilian director concluded the actions of the officer involved were reasonable and said the matter is closed.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca