BPS officer charged in 2023 collision

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This article was published 28/02/2025 (203 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon Police Service officer has been charged with two criminal offences after a suspect who was being pursued by police was hit by a police cruiser in 2023.

BPS Const. Myran Hamm faces one count of assault causing bodily harm and one count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm after an investigation by Manitoba’s Independent Investigation Unit (IIU).

The incident, which was captured on video and shared with the Sun, happened on Sept. 24 of that year, at about 4:20 p.m. on the corner of Victoria Avenue and 10th Street in front of BPS headquarters.

As it announced charges against the officer on Thursday in a media release, the IIU stated that Brandon officers were responding to a call regarding a man attempting arson. When he ran from the scene, he was hit by the police car. The man was taken to Brandon Regional Health Centre, where it was determined he had a broken arm.

The IIU launched its investigation two days after the incident and it included video evidence and interviews from police and witnesses.

The video shared with the Sun following the incident was shot by a man who was walking to Superstore to get groceries that Sunday afternoon when he heard sirens. When he turned around, he saw a police officer trying to catch a man who was running.

In the two-minute video, a man being pursued by police is seen running onto the street in front of BPS headquarters. An officer in a police cruiser appears to intercept the man by swerving into him.

While the moment of contact between the man and the cruiser was obscured by a pickup truck, the man’s body can be seen bouncing off the pavement, then lying on the ground until officers surround him.

Christopher Schneider, a Brandon University sociology professor who has written extensively on policing, viewed the video in 2023. He told the Sun at the time that he expected the IIU to conclude that excessive force was used.

On Thursday, in an interview with the Sun, Schneider said he maintained the belief that the individual “did not pose an immediate threat to public safety,” and that “striking the man with a cruiser was excessive.”

“I applaud the decision by the IIU,” Schneider said, adding “what this does in terms of future direction is provide a message to both the police and the public about what sort of conduct in terms of use of force in a particular circumstance is acceptable, and what kind of conduct is unacceptable.

“And using a police cruiser to strike someone down who does not pose an immediate threat to public safety, is the IIU signalling an unacceptable use of police force.”

Having just been charged, the allegations against Hamm have not been proven in court and he is presumed innocent.

According to an IIU annual report, in general the watchdog organization was notified of incidents nine times by the BPS for the 2022 to 2023 year. The year before, it was notified six times.

The Police Services Act requires the IIU to be notified when a police officer is alleged to be involved in a death, serious injury or contravention of a federal or provincial law.

The IIU does not accept complaints directly from the public. Instead, Manitoba’s Law Enforcement Review Agency (LERA) handles complaints from the public about police conduct.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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