Police watchdog investigating after man falls from fourth floor balcony

Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating after a man was seriously injured falling or jumping from a fourth-floor balcony when police forced their way into the apartment he was in.

The Edmonton Police Service says officers responded to a call around 3:30 am on Thursday morning about an assault in progress. The caller said they heard screaming from inside an apartment unit near 170 Street and 64 Avenue.

Officers knocked on the unit door several times, and eventually forced it open, police said in a news release.

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Once inside, police say a confrontation occurred between officers and a man in the suite. Officers tried to gain control of him, but failed.

Then, the man went out onto the fourth-floor balcony and either jumped or fell to the ground below. He survived the fall but was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which probes all serious injuries and deaths in the province involving police, is looking into what happened.