An investigation into a violent arrest in Penticton has cleared the officer involved.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C., the RCMP watchdog, launched the investigation after a police service dog was deployed during the arrest on May 16.

According to the IIO鈥檚 report, officers began pursuit of a stolen pickup truck in 琉璃神社 at 9 p.m. on May 15.

Officers recognized the driver as a prolific offender with a history of ramming police vehicles in attempts to escape capture, and also saw other people in the vehicle.

One of the other people in the vehicle was the person officers deployed the dog on.

After spotting the truck, the officers called in back-up, including the service dog and the dog handler.

The vehicle drove down to Penticton, where it was kept under surveillance for hours while officers waited to see if the occupants would commit a crime.

At 3:30 a.m., they were spotted siphoning gasoline, and about 20 minutes later after they stopped near the Penticton Airport, the driver and another male got out of the vehicle and started to walk away. When they were about 300 metres away, according to the IIO report, officers moved in to arrest them.

Three police vehicles, lights active, pulled up around the two men, but when officers got out one had managed to get between the police vehicle and airport fence and made a run for it. He was later arrested on a nearby property.

The other man looked as though he might be turning to run as well, while officers shouted commands at him, at which point the dog was deployed. He suffered lacerations to his face and forearm from the dog鈥檚 bites.

Two women were arrested with the stolen vehicle without incident.

The investigation into the arrest included reviews of police records including radio transmissions and dash camera recordings, interviews and statements from a civilian witness and three witness police officers, photographs of the scene and medical evidence.

Neither the dog handler nor the man who was injured shared any evidence about the arrest with the investigators.

The report notes that there was evidence that the officers were concerned that one of the men might be armed, and that in the darkness and with the separation of the suspects, deeming the officers鈥檚 decision to send the dog after a potentially fleeing suspect not unreasonable.

No charges are being referred about the officer following the report.