Sask. police watchdog issues final report on arrest that saw man stab himself in the chest

Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has issued no charges against officers – stemming from an incident in Regina that saw a suspect repeatedly stab himself during an arrest. SIRT’s findings were recently published following the conclusion of its investigation. On June 27, 2023, members of the province’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team executed a search warrant at a Regina home.

The warrant authorized police to search for evidence of offences related to possession of child pornography. Officers entered the residence without resistance, the report said. The 42-year-old suspect as well as his 72-year-old father and 70-year-old mother, were brought to the main floor of the house – where all three residents were shown the warrant and advised of their rights.

“The affected person requested to speak with a lawyer, and was provided with an opportunity to do so, making the call from the basement bathroom for the purposes of privacy,” the report read. During the police search, several devices were found in the affected person’s basement bedroom. According to the report, the man refused to provide passwords for the devices.

However, several USB drives were located soon after and turned over to the police technician on site. “An examination of these drives revealed child sexual abuse material and provided grounds to arrest the affected person for Possession of Child Pornography,” the report said. Ahead of the anticipated arrest, Regina police officers were called back to the scene for transportation.

Investigators moved upstairs to arrest the affected person – who was standing near the kitchen island. When officers told the suspect he was under arrest, the man rapidly backed up, reached into a drawer and retrieved a knife. “The affected person held the knife to his chest as a police officer and his mother both shouted words to the effect of ‘don’t do it,'” the report read. “Several police offices drew their firearms at this point, and one attempted to negotiate with the affected person before he began stabbing himself in the chest.”

A total of four officers struggled with the man to get control of the knife – with the group falling to the ground. One officer eventually got hold of the knife – handing it to a colleague. The affected person was handcuffed and police immediately commenced first aid.

EMS was contacted and arrived at the scene shortly after the incident. The man was transported to hospital by ambulance in serious condition. He was treated for three stab wounds in the central/left region of his chest – eventually being released on July 1.

Two officers sustained cuts to their hands in the struggle. Due to the affected person’s injuries being self inflicted and officers’ efforts in saving his life – investigators said no charges were laid against any police involved. SIRT went on to say that investigation into this particular case would be focused on potential negligence – rather than direct actions of police.

“Leaving aside the fact that the independent and free-standing actions of the affected person likely serve to sever any chain of causation to the actions of police, under the Criminal Code, negligence offences require demonstration of wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons,” SIRT explained. “In this case, the evidence falls far short of demonstrating such a departure … It is evident that the involved police demonstrated significant concern for preserving the life of the affected person.”

This is the first investigative report published by SIRT.

The civilian-led organization independently investigates incidents where an individual has died or suffered serious injuries arising the from the actions of on and off duty police officers.

This extends to incidents while in police custody as well as allegations of sexual assault or interpersonal violence involving police.