The Public Complaints Commission says they have found no wrongdoing in the arrest of an Indigenous man in the summer of 2020.
The arrest of Evan Penner was heavily scrutinized after a video posted online showed police officers punching him several times during the arrest.
Penner’s family and the FSIN criticized the arrest for what they felt was the use of excessive force.
While the Public Complaints Commission hasn’t announced the decision publicly Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper announced the findings during a Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners meeting last week.
Cooper told the meeting the investigation showed no improper conduct by the officers involved and that he agrees with the decision.
The video of Penner’s arrest was posted by the Indigenous Joint Action Coalition and begins with a police officer telling Penner to stop resisting. Penner is then wrestled to the ground where he is punched several times.
Penner would suffer non-life-threatening injuries to his face during the arrest.
Police say the arrest occurred when the officer was investigating a report of a suspicious man using a garden hose from an apartment building.
Penner’s case is still before the courts.