Effects linger after arm broken during attempted arrest: Thompson man

Roland Becker is 69 years old. He has dementia, and after an incident with an off-duty cop last fall, his right arm may never work normally again. Last October, Becker went to the Thompson Regional Community Center for a walk. He stopped by the center's gym, where a kid's gymnastics club, including his granddaughter, was practicing. That's when, according to a report issued by the IIU last month, Constable Mike McGrath, an off-duty RCMP officer, tried to arrest him. He knocked me down and... Broke my arm and dragging me so long on the floor that I don't know why. Almost killed me when he was standing on top of me then. I couldn't even breathe. Becker's arm now causes him constant pain. Two surgeries and trips to Winnipeg haven't fixed it. Becker's son, Torrance, went with his dad for medical care. He wants to know why this happened. I just want to know how did it so rapidly progress into violence? Because it could have easily been anyone's parent or grandparent. Torrance was told by police they thought Roland might have been recording the kids with a cell phone. He disagrees. He doesn't own a phone, even if he did. He wouldn't even be able, I don't think he'd even be able to figure out how to turn it on, let alone get to the camera. Constable McGrath now faces a charge of aggravated assault. He'll appear in court November 24th. Becker now says he feels scared to go out. I'm supposed to go to that court, but I don't know, because if I see that idiot, I don't want him to beat me up again. So I'm feeling kind of scared about going to that. RCMP and the IIU declined to comment for this story, saying the matter will soon be in court. Eric Westhaver, CBC News, Thompson.