Saskatoon police officer testifies Jordan Lafond didn't move during arrest

The officer who handcuffed Jordan Lafond says he can't remember him moving at all after his arrest.

Lafond died after a stolen truck he was riding in crashed on the outskirts of Saskatoon in 2016. Officers at a Saskatoon inquest into Lafond's death testified this week that Lafond was restrained, handcuffed and kneed in the head before officers realized he was in medical distress.

On Tuesday, an officer testified he kneed Lafond in the head as many as four times while he was being handcuffed, as he believed he was resisting arrest.

On Wednesday another officer, Sgt. Kelly Olafson, told the jury he doesn't remember the knee strikes, but does recall that Lafond didn't move after he handcuffed him.

"He was not trying to escape from me, for sure," Olafson said.

Olafson said the handcuffs became caught on Lafond's sweatshirt and he struggled to free them.

Doctors were unable to determine whether Lafond died as a result of the crash or as a result of the knee strikes. An autopsy was performed eight days after his death, after his corpse had already been embalmed.

While investigators stated Olafson may have kicked Lafond as he approached the crash site, Olafson said that would be impossible, as Lafond was lying under the truck at the time.

He testified he initially stomped on Lafond's hand, to make sure he wasn't armed.

'I saw it wrong'

On Tuesday, Sgt. Thomas Gresty testified he struck Lafond because he wanted to get handcuffs on him quickly because a second person in the truck had not been located. He said police believed there were several rifles in the truck, adding to the scene's tension.

Gresty testified police immediately removed the handcuffs and called an ambulance after they saw Lafond was in medical distress.

Speaking to the jury, he said, "I'm pretty confident now I was looking at it wrong and saw it wrong."

The truck's driver, Reece Fiddler, also testified at the inquest Tuesday. He said he was punched in the head and ribs after he was arrested. Fiddler is currently serving a four-year sentence for several charges, including evading police and causing bodily harm.

Questions remain

The inquest hasn't heard how Jordan Lafond ended up under the truck, behind the two front tires.

Fiddler testified that he was knocked unconscious in the crash and didn't see Lafond leave the vehicle. None of the officers who have testified saw whether or not Lafond was ejected in the crash.

Cst. Stephanie Kepler testified Wednesday afternoon that when she responded to the scene, she saw a fence post that had entered the Ford F150 through the windshield, the end coming to rest near the passenger seat where Lafond was sitting.

Lawyers later questioned Dr Christopher Robinson, the neuropathologist who examined Lafond's brain after his death.

He was unable to find if Lafond's brain hemorrhage was caused by the crash, a possible ejection, a possible kick, or the head strikes from Sgt. Gresty.

A coroner's inquest is designed to look into how a person died and make recommendations as to how a similar death might be avoided in the future. Inquests are not designed to assign blame or lay criminal charges.

The inquest is expected to run all week at Saskatoon's Court of Queen's Bench.