SUDBURY -- Ontario's police watchdog has cleared a North Bay police officer of wrongdoing during an arrest attempt at a Canadian Tire parking lot after the 28-year-old suspect claimed that his left hand was injured during the encounter on Nov. 20, 2019.

In a report released Thursday, Joseph Martino, director of the provincial Special Investigations Unit said: "there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man's injury."

An officer followed the man into a parking lot in an unmarked vehicle, a blue Kia Sportage, after noticing him driving a pickup truck while prohibited last year.

After the officer parked behind the truck and approached the driver's door, the suspect reportedly reversed his truck a couple of times hitting the police vehicle before driving away, which was captured on video by two civilians.

At the time of the suspect's arrest two days later in Bonfield, he claimed he had been injured by the cop in the parking lot.

He was taken to North Bay Regional Health Centre where he was diagnosed with a fracture to his left hand.

The SIU was notified the next day and the independent investigation began into the incident.

Read the full director's report here.