Manitoba’s Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) has laid charges against a Selkirk RCMP officer after he allegedly hit a suspect with a pylon while he was in custody.
The incident happened on October 21, 2018 in the RM of Rockwood. A 27-year-old driver of a vehicle that had been stopped by the officer for speeding was found to not have a valid driver’s licence. The officer said at the time that while the suspect was in the back seat of the police cruiser he blew mucus and spit all over the seat. The officer then allegedly grabbed a pylon that was in the vehicle and hit the suspect with it.
The officer reported the incident to his supervisor. The IIU was told of the incident and determined that even though the suspect was not injured it was in the public interest to investigate.
The IIU investigated the incident and say that there are reasonable grounds to believe a criminal offence occurred.
RCMP Constable Paul Lacoursiere was told on April 23, 2019 by the IIU that he would be charged and was given a summons to appear in court on June 14, 2019.
