RCMP officer in Swift cleared of wrongdoing after woman dies in hospital shortly after peaceful arrest

By Medicine Hat News on May 14, 2025.

A Mountie in Swift Current has been cleared of any wrongdoing after a resident of that town died in hospital shortly after being arrested last year.

A report released last week by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team states that on May 5, 2024 family members requested a welfare check for the 55-year-old female who they believed was in medical discomfort and may be suicidal.

Police called paramedics shortly after arriving, at which point the report states the subject became combative and threatened suicide.

She was handcuffed and walked to the ambulance about 11:55 a.m., arrived at the Cypress Regional Hospital three minutes later and was pronounced deceased at 12:26 p.m. by a doctor.

“While the stress of being arrested, along with numerous chronic and acute medical issues, may have played some role in the timing of the onset of the affected person’s medical distress … that arrest was both based on reasonable grounds, and was reasonably conducted,” the report concluded.

An autopsy determined the cause of death as cardiorespiratory arrest.

SIRT stated no use of force was employed while the officer had to consider past behavioural concerns, substance use and mental state during the arrest.

“It is worth noting that any arrest, even one conducted without any use of force by police, may be stressful to the subject of the arrest by its very nature,” the report states. “The subject officer attempted to convince the affected person to attend for medical treatment voluntarily.”

The report concludes SIRT’s role in the matter without a recommendations against action.