SIRT called in after suspect in stolen vehicle case hurt during arrest

Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has been called in to investigate after the suspect in a stolen vehicle investigation was hurt.

SIRT was notified about the incident on Thursday afternoon, a few hours after its conclusion.

Saskatoon police arrested the man after three vehicles allegedly were stolen in the Saskatoon area.

According to police, the driver crashed the last of those vehicles into a civilian vehicle at 71st Street East and Wanuskewin Road before driving “through the security gates of the Silverwood Golf Course.”

The driver allegedly took the Dodge Ram through a park and onto the Meewasin Trail while members of the police Air Support Unit relayed his movements to officers following on the ground “as the suspect drove erratically through residential streets and parks.”

Ultimately, a police vehicle was used to disable the Dodge at Capilano Court, police said. The stolen truck came to a stop in the bushes at the bottom of an embankment, and the 37-year-old driver was arrested after a brief struggle.

“During this struggle, both the man and several members of SPS fell down a second embankment,” SIRT said in a media release Friday. “The man was ultimately taken into custody by police and transported to SPS detention.

“While in detention, the man complained of pain and was transported to hospital where it was determined that he had sustained an injury.”

A SIRT team comprising its executive director and four investigators is to probe the incident, along with a community liaison.

SIRT’s release said the team will look into the conduct of the Saskatoon police during the incident, including the circumstances surrounding the man’s arrest and the cause of his injury. Saskatoon police will continue investigating the offences that led to the man’s arrest.

A final report is to be released to the public within 90 days of SIRT’s investigation ending.

SIRT investigates incidents in which an individual has died or suffered serious injury arising from the actions of on- and off-duty police officers, or while in the custody of police.