A Manitoba Mountie has been charged with careless use of a firearm after his gun was fired during an attempted traffic stop.

Manitoba's police watchdog, the Independent Investigation Unit (IIU), says the officer tried to stop a vehicle in a wooded area in June of last year, in the Selkirk area.

The agency says the Mountie tried to chase the driver on foot but the fleeing vehicle sped toward the officer, who then fired his gun.

The driver was later arrested and no one was hurt.

The IIU says that it found there reasonable and probable grounds to believe a criminal offence occurred.

The Constable will appear in a Selkirk courtroom on November 15.