Saskatoon police reviewing video that shows officer punching suspect during arrest

The Saskatoon Police Service says it is reviewing the actions of an officer who was recorded on video punching a suspect after a foot chase.

The incident happened on Nov. 1, police said in a statement to CBC.

"Officers were responding to a report of a suspicious person and upon arrival, witnessed the male in question had exposed himself and was urinating while standing on 22nd Street W.," the statement said.

"When the arresting officer attempted to question the male suspect, he fled on foot. The officer utilized a use-of-force as he brought the man into custody a short distance away."

Bryce Michael was in a nearby bus shelter and recorded the chase and arrest. He then posted the video on Facebook, where it had 200,000 views to date. Michael also reached out to CBC with the video.

The video shows the man running toward the camera with one officer chasing on foot and another in a police truck with lights and siren engaged. The officer eventually grabs the back of the man's shirt and brings him to the ground. While he has the man pinned, the officer punches him in the face.

"As part of SPS standard procedures, the incident will be reviewed by a supervisor and a use-of-force committee. If further steps are deemed necessary, the incident will be forwarded to the Public Complaints Commission for investigation," the police statement said.

In an interview, Saskatoon police Supt. Cameron McBride said the interaction escalated when the suspect ran away from police.

"In this case, the officer was making a lawful arrest. The suspect was fleeing, and refusing to be arrested, and when taken to the ground was refusing to comply, refusing to be arrested," McBride said.

"That creates a real dilemma for the officer in terms of, how strong is this person? How violent is this person? What's their motivation for wanting to get away?"

Arrests can be very simple or more physical, depending on the situation, and can sometimes lead to a more aggressive police action, according to McBride

He said the officer reported what had happened immediately, which is what triggered the internal review. The officer was wearing a body camera, which will provide audio of the incident for investigators.

"I'm 100 per cent convinced that our members do what they believe is the right thing in the moment, sometimes with very little opportunity to … analyze and to think through," said McBride.

"They react based on our training and in this case, that's what our member did."