Watchdog clears Saskatoon police after man injured following high-speed chase

Saskatoon police did not use excessive force when arresting a man high on meth who led them on a 90-minute chase involving three separate vehicles, a report by Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) concludes.

The 37-year-old suspect sustained four cracked ribs after abandoning a stolen truck and tumbling down a steep embankment with an officer who had tackled him.

"While the cause of the affected person's injuries is unclear, the force employed throughout the incident cannot be said to be unreasonable," the seven-page report on the Nov. 9, 2023, incident said.

"Several other members of SPS made contact and attempted to arrest the affected person, using both knee strikes and punches during the arrest as the affected person resisted efforts by police to gain control of his arms and place him in handcuffs."

SIRT is the province's independent police oversight organization. It investigates incidents where people are killed or seriously injury by the actions of on and off-duty police officers, or while in the custody of police, along with allegations of sexual assault or interpersonal violence involving officers.

This is the fifth such report SIRT has released to the public. All five have concluded that the officers involved did not commit any offences.

Car, SUV and flatbed truck

The investigation involved interviewing witnesses, police and the injured man, and reviewing video and audio from police bodycams, in-car video and footage from the police plane.

The report said the chase began just after 8:30 a.m. CST when an officer spotted a stolen Audi S4 parked outside a north-end business. The officer ordered the driver out of the car, but he bolted.

Over the next 90 minutes, he led officers on a chase across the city, country roads, fields and small towns before finally returning to Saskatoon.

At one point, the man abandoned the Audi and stole a Hyundai Tucson left running outside a business in Langham. Later, in Warman, he switched to a Dodge 3500 flatbed truck left running outside the business.

Police tried unsuccessfully to flatten the tires of the various stolen vehicles. They also backed off the pursuit because of danger to the public, the report said.

The man's reckless driving in the large truck led officers to re-engage and try to ram it off the road. These efforts failed. The chase ended when the truck became stuck in a stand of trees near the riverbank on Whiteswan Drive.