RCMP officer who broke Sask. hospital patient’s arm won’t be charged

Saskatchewan’s attorney general has opted against charging an RCMP officer who broke a female hospital patient’s arm during a violent arrest more than a year ago.

The decision against charges was made despite a finding by the province’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) that “reasonable grounds” existed to believe the officer committed assault causing bodily harm on the 38-year-old woman outside Melfort Hospital.

The SIRT report, which is dated Sept. 3 and was released Wednesday, says the Crown prosecutor assigned to the case contacted the team in June to say charges would not be pursued against the officer.

Noel Busse, a spokesman for the provincial Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, said in an email that the ministry must apply different standards to prosecutions than SIRT does in analyzing incidents.

“After careful consideration of the admissible evidence gathered, available defences, [the section of the Criminal Code justifying the reasonable use of force by police] and recognizing any charge would have to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, Public Prosecutions has concluded there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction,” Busse wrote. 

The SIRT report details that Melfort RCMP were called to the hospital on July 2, 2025 after a woman being treated for mental health issues defied medical advice and left the facility.

A confrontation ensued between the woman, who was wearing a hospital gown, and the first RCMP officer to arrive and he tried to arrest her under the Mental Health Services Act. 

A struggle between the woman and the officer developed on the ground of the hospital parking lot and the woman suffered a fractured right humerus.

The SIRT report says the officer used both hands to apply pressure to her arm, “causing the arm to audibly break and become visibly displaced.”

‘Significant issues’

The SIRT report was based on police body cam footage, video from surveillance cameras in the parking lot and interviews with witnesses, including another RCMP officer, a relative of the woman and the hospital employee who called police.

The officer who made the arrest also submitted a written statement to SIRT and agreed to be interviewed.

The SIRT report says the woman ran from the officer in the parking lot and swung her arm at his head, making contact and knocking his hat off. The officer then tackled her and demanded she present her hands, using profanity repeatedly.

“Give me your hands now, you dumb [expletive] bitch,” the officer said.

He then struck the woman’s head with his fist and informed her she was being arrested for assaulting a police officer. He placed her right wrist in handcuffs and was applying pressure to that same handcuffed arm when it broke.

The woman was eventually persuaded to re-enter the hospital for treatment. She tested positive for substances including cocaine and methamphetamine, the SIRT report says.

It says police officers are allowed to use as much force as is “reasonably necessary” to perform their duties, but the officer appeared to exceed that standard. 

The report cites the officer’s “demonstrable level of anger” and the fact he applied pressure to the arm that was already handcuffed as “significant issues.” 

The report, which is signed by SIRT civilian executive director Greg Gudelot, acknowledges the different standards applied by SIRT and by the Crown when it comes to identifying a possible offence and pursuing charges.

“There must be a reasonable likelihood of conviction and a criminal prosecution must be in the public interest,” Busse’s email says.

The SIRT report notes that under the provisions of the Police Act, “this matter will be forwarded to the RCMP and the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC) for their review, with a recommendation for the imposition of any appropriate discipline pursuant to the Code of Conduct of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”