Winnipeg woman fights charges of assaulting police, alleges officer assaulted her

An officer has testified he faceda "chaotic situation" when he responded to a call on Halloween in 2014 that left a woman covered in bruises.

Lana Sinclairis in court today and Thursday after police charged her with assaulting a peace officer and resisting a peace officer. Sinclair sayspolice assaulted her.

• Injuries happened at the hands of Winnipeg police, woman alleges

The first officer to testify said he respondedafter a 911 call reported an intoxicated woman. He saidSinclairwas outside, yelling at her boyfriend and eight-year-old son,when the officer and his partner arrived around 8:50p.m. CT.

The officer saidhe went inside with Sinclair while his partner stayed with her boyfriend and son.

The officer testified that he told Sinclair he was going to callChild and Family Services, and Sinclairtried to block the officer from getting her son. The officer testified that Sinclair, with only one hand held by handcuffs,twisted to grab her sewing table, and because she was wearing nylon socks on a laminate floor, she slipped and hit her head on the ground.

He called his supervisor and paramedics and when they arrived, Sinclairclaimed the police punched her, the officersaid.

TheCrown asked the officer if he hit Sinclair with his baton.

"Oh God, no," he responded. Neither he nor his partner poked, pushedor punched Sinclair, he testified.

The defence submitted photos as evidence to court showing bruises on Sinclair's face, arms and legs and asked the officer for an explanation. He responded that Sinclair was wearing long pants and sleeves and was rolling around on her stomach.

Before the trial,Sinclair told CBC that whenofficers showed up at herhome, she yelled, but it was at her son to hurry up and go trick-or-treating.

She said the officer assaulted her with his baton and thenhandcuffed her.She alleges he then kicked her feet out from underher, sending her face first into her sewing table, causing the bruises on her face.

Sinclair said her son witnessed that part of the altercation.

Sinclair filed a complaint with theLaw Enforcement Review Agency, which investigates complaints about police in Manitoba.

She said she has been unable to teach traditional Indigenous sewing and beadingin schools because of the pending charges.