POLICE FORCE INVESTIGATED
‘Stormtrooper’ taken down
The Lethbridge Police Service has started an internal investigation after officers drew their guns on a teenager dressed as a Star Wars stormtrooper carrying a toy gun.
The arrest happened around 11 a.m. on Monday. Police say they received two 911 calls about a person in a stormtrooper costume with a weapon.
The person was a 19-year-old female employee of Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina, a Star Wars-themed restaurant, according to business owner Bradley Whalen. The teen was holding a prop plastic gun as part of her costume.
He said he’d asked his employee to wear the costume and wave to passersby because it was Star Wars Day. The date, May the 4th, is a pun on the film franchise slogan “May the force be with you.”
“We don’t have an issue with the fact that police responded,” said Whalen. “We have an issue with how they responded.”
A partial video of the arrest circulating on social media shows the employee with her hands up and on her knees while police have their guns drawn. Police can be heard yelling at her to get on the ground, although she does not immediately comply. Later the employee can be heard crying.
Whalen said officers continued to treat the woman aggressively, even after they had determined the weapon was a costume prop.
“You could tell by looking at it, even 10 feet away, that it was a plastic toy,” said Whalen.
He said the woman was handcuffed and forced to the ground, but was later released at the scene of the incident without charges.
On Tuesday, the Lethbridge Police Service issued a news release announcing an internal investigation into the incident.
“Upon reviewing the file and additional information, including video circulating on social media, Chief Scott Woods has directed a service investigation under the Alberta Police Act that will look into whether the officers acted appropriately within the scope of their training and LPS policies and procedures.”
The news release said the girl sustained a minor injury that didn’t require medical attention.
According to police, the employee did not comply with requests to get on the ground. Whalen finds that difficult to believe given her background.
“What a lot of people don’t understand is that this girl is in a criminal justice training program to be a police officer,” he said.
Whalen said the employee is taking a few days to recover from the stress of having guns pointed at her.
He said the incident has led to calls from media organizations across the U.S., and messages of support from as far away as Europe and New Zealand.
“Something has to happen,” said Whalen. “We have been contacted by lawyers who are wanting to help us.”