> Video of arrest shocking: PM
Politicians demanded answers on Friday after watching dash-cam video of a violent arrest of a prominent chief of a northern Alberta First Nation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the video was “shocking” and called for an independent, transparent investigation.
“I think everyone who has seen this video has serious questions about what exactly happened, about how it happened this way and about the use of force that we saw,” he said in Ottawa.
The RCMP video was released publicly as part of a court application to stay criminal charges against Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. It shows a Mountie charging at an agitated Adam, tackling him to the ground and punching him in the head.
Alberta Indigenous Affairs Minister Rick Wilson said on Twitter he was glad the video was made public. “Tough to watch this video of my friend Chief Adam being brutalized like this,” Wilson wrote, adding he trusts Alberta’s police watchdog is “properly reviewing and will pursue justice.”
Alberta’s Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley said on Twitter that systemic racism in Alberta cannot be ignored.
“I sincerely hope that an investigation into this incident leads to change for the better.”
Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said in a statement that Canadians deserve answers and stressed the need for the investigation to come to timely and thorough conclusions.
The 12-minute video from the early morning of March 10 shows a black truck idling outside the Boomtown Casino in downtown Fort McMurray in the glow of flashing police lights.
Adam can be seen walking back and forth between the truck and an RCMP cruiser, shouting profanities at an officer out of view. The chief tells the officer to tell his sergeant: “I’m tired of being harassed by the RCMP.”
“Sir, just return to your vehicle. I’ll come talk to you in a minute,” the Mountie replies.
After some arguing, Adam gets out of the truck’s passenger seat and takes off his jacket as he strides toward the officer. A woman in the driver’s seat gets out and Adam crouches as though bracing for a fight.
There is more arguing and
Adam gets back into the passenger seat. The officer is seen pushing the woman against the truck and yanking her by the shoulder.
“Hey! Leave my wife alone! You come for me,” Adam says, before swatting the officer’s hands away from the woman.
A second officer runs at Adam, grabs him by the neck and shoulders and tackles him to the ground. “Don’t resist, sir!” the officer yells, as he straddles the chief. That officer can be seen punching Adam in the side of the head with one arm while holding him down with the other.
“My name is Chief Allan Adam,” Adam says as the two officers pin him down. The officers eventually handcuff Adam, pull him up and lead him toward the cruiser. His face is bloodied. His laboured breathing can be heard inside the police vehicle toward the end of the video.
The RCMP has said Adam’s truck had expired plates. The chief was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the province’s police watchdog, is investigating and declined to comment Friday.
The president of the National Police Federation, a union representing 20,000 RCMP members, said it’s “gravely concerned” about how the officers are being vilified. Brian Sauve said the officers could not legally allow the truck to be driven without valid registration and traffic stops are among the most dangerous duties.
“The unknowns of who the driver or passenger is, their background and intentions, as well as what may be contained within a vehicle out of sight, are all risks for both police and the public,” Sauve said.