A Winkler police officer has been found to not have contributed to the cause of a June 8th attempted traffic stop that resulted in serious injuries to the driver of a dirt bike.
On June 8, Winkler Police Service notified the IIU of an incident that occurred that day at 6:30 p.m., when an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the operator of a dirt bike on a roadway within the city of Winkler. According to the notification, the suspect fled and subsequently struck a concrete curb, at which time the operator lost control and was ejected from the dirt bike. The driver sustained a broken wrist as a result of the incident and was treated and released from hospital.
As a broken wrist is defined as a serious injury, the IIU was mandated to investigate. Investigators were assigned and reviewed:
Winkler Police Service radio transmissions;
Winkler Police Service Forensic Identification Services (FIS) reports and photographs;
statements (handwritten) of various civilian witnesses;
notes and narrative reports from various witness officers; and
RCMP collision investigation report.
Due to the dearth of information at the outset of this investigation as to whether any actions by any Winkler police officer contributed to the collision, it was decided that no subject officer designation would be made at this stage, pending receipt of more facts and evidence. The officer who was attempting to conduct a traffic stop of the dirt bike was designated as a witness officer.
IIU investigators met with and interviewed two civilian witnesses. Despite numerous attempts to meet with and speak to the affected person and promises by him to arrange for such a meeting, IIU investigators were unable to interview him nor obtain a consent for the release of medical information relative to this matter.
The civilian director found no evidence to support a finding that there is any level of contribution by the Winkler Police Service officer to the cause of the collision. Accordingly, the IIU has completed its investigation and the matter is now closed.
The affected person remains before the court on charges arising from the incident. The civilian director’s report on the incident will be made available following disposition of those charges.
The details of the investigation were first announced on June 13, 2022.