RCMP officers who arrested an autistic 16-year-old at a St. Albert playground will not face criminal charges even though Alberta’s police watchdog says the teenager was mistakenly identified as a drug user and unlawfully detained.

In a report released Wednesday, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) detailed results of its investigation into the October 2022 detention of Ryley Bauman.

ASIRT concluded that charges of unlawful confinement and assault should be considered against the three arresting officers. The Crown, however, has declined to pursue a criminal case, citing the unlikelihood of conviction.

Block said three of the four civilian witnesses who saw the arrest recognized the teen could be, or likely was, neurodivergent, a term used to describe people whose brains develop or function differently.