Edmonton officers not at fault after man fleeing police falls through river ice, ASIRT concludes

A man who is presumed dead was fleeing police for a bylaw infraction when he ran onto an ice pack along the North Saskatchewan River and slipped into the water.

Edmonton police officers are not to blame, the province’s police watchdog established, because there was no use of force and officers were nowhere near the man when he ran onto the riverbank.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) says it came to that conclusion after reviewing police helicopter footage of the early-morning interaction on Apr. 9.

ASIRT says Edmonton police officers were trying to stop the man because he was allegedly riding a bicycle without proper lights. The male refused to stop and rode onto a path, according to the police watchdog, with the officers following on foot.

“During the pursuit, the male can be seen riding a bike without the necessary equipment, which corroborates the officers reasoning for attempting to stop the male,” ASIRT said in a news release.

The man followed the path toward the North Saskatchewan River, at which point he ditched his bicycle and ran onto the ice pack. EPS officers did not follow the man onto the ice, ASIRT says.

The helicopter footage purports to show the man “running quickly towards the centre of the river before tragically slipping into the open water. The male disappeared below the surface of the water before appropriate resources could arrive.”

The man has yet to be identified and no remains have been located, Edmonton police told CityNews Tuesday.

EPS missing person investigators are continuing to search.