Injuries happened at the hands of Winnipeg police, woman alleges

Lana Sinclair can't hide the violenceshe alleges police inflicted uponher on Oct. 31 it's written all over her face.

Officers showed up at Sinclair's home on Halloween after someone called to report yelling, but Sinclair says she was only trying to hurry her son to gotrick-or-treating.

When the officers came inside, one checked on her son and the other talked to her.

"He came up to me and poked me," Sinclair said. "I was sitting on a chair in the kitchen and I jumped up and said you don't need to touch me."

Sinclair says the officerthen pulled out his baton.

"He hit me here," Sinclair said, referring to her forearms, which she said she held up to defend herself. "And he hit me here and then I fell on the floor," she said, pointing toher knees.

Sinclair said that bout ofviolence took placewhen her son was upstairs with the other officer, but her 8-year-old son saw everything that happened next.

"He had my arm behind me and he smashed my face right here," Sinclair said, pointing to the sewing table she keeps in her living room.

That's when she says she was handcuffed, stood up and her feet were kicked out from underneath her. She fell and landedon her face.

"We [my son and I] were both traumatized," she said. "I just hug him and kiss him and tell him it's okay."

But Sinclair worries thatthe incident will negatively affect her son's perception of police.

"All Iwas thinking of was his safety, and how he was going to be traumatized and how he is going to see the police now," she said.

An ambulance was called and after paramedics evaluated her injuries.Sinclair says they told police to take her toVictoria Hospital for treatment. Police drove her there and then to the police station on Dugald Road.

Sinclair saysthe sergeant on duty was furious at his officers after she told him what happened.

Sinclair is facing charges related to assaulting and resisting a peace officerand has filed a complaint with LERA, the Law Enforcement Review Agency. She has also hired a lawyer.

Winnipeg police were not available for comment on the allegations or on whether they're looking into her complaint.