No charges laid against officer after man bitten by Brandon police dog

Manitoba's police watchdog says officers didn't break the law when a man was bitten by a police dog during his arrest in Brandon last fall.

At about 2 a.m. onOct. 9, 2020, Brandon police were called to the600 block of Rosser Avenue where two men wereallegedly damaging cars in the parking lot, the Independent Investigation Unit said in a news release on Tuesday.

Police told the IIUa window of a business had been broken and one of the men was spotted inside.

Police said they told the man to come out and surrender, but he refused.

Officers used a police dog to help with arresting the man, and in that time the man was bitten.

He was taken to hospital and needed 14 staples to close the wound, the release said.

The injury and subsequent hospitalization both meet the definition of a serious injury, the IIU says, and the watchdog is mandated to investigate.

The team of investigators have determined the use of force was "controlled, measured and appropriate for the circumstances," after theyread a number of reports and policies andlistened to police transmission recordings.

"Warnings were given, the subject confirmed hearing the warnings and refusing to surrender," the release said.

The IIU investigation is now over and the matter is closed.

The man who was arrested is facing charges stemming from the incident, and the IIU's full report will be made public once those chargesare tested in court.