Police watchdog investigating report Winnipeg man's leg was broken during arrest

Manitoba's police watchdog is investigating after a man's elbow was dislocated and his leg was broken in two places during an arrest by Winnipeg police officers that involved a collision between a stolen vehicle and a taxi.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba saidin a Wednesday news release it was told about theincident on Tuesday, but the arrest happened almost six months ago.

Police told the IIUthat officers were responding to a call about a man drivinga stolen vehicle on McPhillips Street on Feb. 18.

He tried toevade police, and the stolen vehicle hit a taxi in the area of McPhillips Street and Jarvis Avenue, police say.

Officers pulled the man out of the vehicle, handcuffed him and took him to Health Sciences Centre.

He was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow andbruising, and was released.

On Aug. 10, police say theLaw Enforcement Review Agency an independent agency that investigates complaints about Manitoba police contacted Winnipeg police and said that as a result of a complaint it had received, the agency had evidence the man also suffered two fractures to bones in his leg that may have occurred during his arrest.

At that point, police notified the IIU, which is mandated to investigate all serious incidents involving police in Manitoba. These fractures to the man's leg are considered a serious injury under IIU regulations.

Anyone who hasinformation or video footage that could help with this investigation is asked to contact the IIU toll free at 1-844-667-6060.

The IIU isn't providing any more details because the investigation is ongoing.