No charges to be laid against EPS officers in 2025 possible brain bleed incident
Posted July 15, 2026 7:40 pm.
Alberta’s police watchdog — the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) — says no charges will be laid after a man may have sustained a “brain bleed” during an arrest by Edmonton police in October 2025.
Around 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 14, two EPS officers were parked outside an establishment on 106 Street and 107 Avenue NW after having arrested a man on an unrelated matter, when another man, who officers say appeared intoxicated, approached the marked police vehicle and attempted to speak to the officer at the driver’s window. The officer in the passenger seat exited the vehicle and spoke to the man, and then told him he was under arrest.
The man appeared to pull away from the officer, according to ASIRT, which says the interaction was caught on CCTV in the parking lot.
“The officer then took the male to ground where his head and face hit the pavement,” the watchdog said in a news release.
The man was taken to the University of Alberta hospital, where a CT scan showed a brain bleed. ASIRT says it’s unclear if the injury was the result of that incident, or an earlier incident on Sept. 27. At the time, ASIRT provided no details regarding the incident on Sept. 27.
During their investigation, ASIRT learned that the man believed that he had been approached from behind and was allegedly assaulted by the officers with what he believes was a steel bar or similar object; however, he was unable to provide any additional details regarding his interaction with police or being admitted to hospital.
Investigators were able to obtain the man’s medical records through signed consent release.
He was reportedly discharged from hospital on Oct. 19, after declining a recommended craniotomy to evacuate the hematoma and making repeated efforts to leave the hospital against medical advice. It was noted that he had the same procedure in late 2024 and did not wish to repeat it.
Records also showed that the man had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in November 2024 following a pedestrian involved in a motor vehicle collision.
Through nearby video footage and statements and reports from both officers, ASIRT was able to determine that the man did approach the police vehicle and spoke to the officers through the window, which included raising his voice, before the officer in the passenger side of the vehicle exited and walked to the driver’s side. The man then said something before the officer responded, “too late for that, come here, now you’re under arrest,” before a physical altercation took place and the man was taken into custody.
ASIRT says that the incident lasted around two minutes in total, noting that the officers were in their vehicle for the first minute.
As a result of the investigation, ASIRT ruled that no charges are going to be laid against the officer in question.
