Salt Lake City Police have invoked the officer-involved-critical-incident (OICI) protocol in a 2023 case in which a woman claims she had her leg amputated as a result of injury caused by police.

“This is a unique situation,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown. “Recently, we became aware of a civil lawsuit in this case and upon reviewing the facts, and allegations, we elected to invoke the OICI protocol in the interest of transparency, accountability, and to ensure compliance with state law.”

At around 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 1, two SLCPD officers contacted Agnes Martinez, 57, near 400 West 1700 South. Officers elected to arrest Martinez on drug charges.

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The officers made commands to stop, and Martinez physically resisted, according to a press release from SLCPD. While trying to make the arrest, officers went to the ground with Martinez.

After getting her in handcuffs, officers noticed an injury to Martinez’s leg that “appeared to be a broken leg,” the release states. Officers called for paramedics who then took Martinez to the hospital.

On July 31, SLCPD became aware that Martinez had filed a civil lawsuit claiming that the injury later led to the amputation of her leg. SLCPD has now launched an OICI investigation as a result of serious bodily injury occurring during an arrest.

“The Salt Lake City Police Department does not currently have independently verified information regarding the medical causes or reasons behind Ms. Martinez’s leg amputation,” the release states. “Multiple investigations are ongoing, and these will thoroughly examine all relevant details. Until these investigations are complete, any assumptions, including any conclusions or correlations between the amputation and the officers’ encounter, would be premature and potentially misleading.”