Crown drops both charges against First Nations chief
EDMONTON Charges against Chief Allan Adam have been dropped after the release of police dash cam footage showing an RCMP officer tackling him to the ground and striking his head in March.
Adam, who is leader of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, had been charged with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer outside the Fort Mcmurray Boomtown Casino at 2 a.m. on March 10.
The Crown dropped the charges Wednesday morning in a Fort Mcmurray courtroom.
A statement from Alberta Justice said the Crown’s decision was made following “an examination of the available evidence including the disclosure of additional relevant material.”
Speaking to media at a news conference after the court appearance, Adam said he wants the case to lead to changes in how the RCMP is run.
He added he is not calling for the arresting officers to be fired or charged.
“If we are to move forward in any capacity, we have to seriously open the eyes of each and every nonnative Canadian to the realities that we, Indigenous people of the land, have had to live with for decades,” said Adam.
Brian Beresh, Adam’s lawyer, accused the arresting RCMP officers of targeting Adam because of his race and called it “a historic day because Chief Adam’s case is a call for justice.”
“We would not be here today if a police officer quietly dealt with this matter by way of issuing a ticket in a sensitive, respectful way,” he said.
He also said the officer that tackled and struck Adam, Const. Simon Seguin, was facing charges of assault, mischief and unlawfully being in a dwelling house at the time of Adam’s arrest.
Those charges were filed on Aug. 5, and a trial in Fort Mcmurray is scheduled for Sept. 30. Seguin was not pulled from active duty after he was charged.
Beresh said he discovered this information recently.
Alberta RCMP spokesperson Fraser Logan confirmed Seguin was facing criminal charges at the time of the arrest.
“Const. Seguin attended a residence while he was off-duty and attempted to gain access inside,” he wrote in an email. “An altercation ensued with two occupants inside before he left the residence.”
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Marlene Poitras, Alberta Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations, called for greater local involvement in how communities are policed.
“Officers that fail to protect their people and inflict violence instead are not upholding the responsibilities they swore an oath to honour every day when they put on their uniforms,” said Poitras. “Anyone suspected of misconduct needs to be investigated independently and not by other police officers in a different force.”
Police say the incident began when an officer noticed Adam’s truck had a licence plate that had been expired for five days.
In police footage, an officer is seen parking behind Adam’s truck. The two argue for much of the nearly 12-minute video. Adam accuses police of harassing him and tells the officer to inform Supt. Lorna Dicks of Wood Buffalo RCMP, that “Chief Adam f---king tells you I’m tired of being harassed by the RCMP.”
After much arguing, the officer appears to begin arresting Adam’s wife, Freda Courtoreille. As she yells “ouch,” Adam jumps out, yells, “Leave my wife alone,” and pushes the officer.
The two argue some more and Adam gets back inside the truck.
At one point, the truck inches forward and stops. Beresh says Courtoreille thought she was allowed to leave.
The officer walks to the driver’s side and talks with Courtoreille. What is said cannot be heard, but Adam jumps from the vehicle and yells at the officer. The officer tells him to return and grabs his left arm, as if he is about to arrest him.
At that point, an officer arriving at the scene runs over and tackles Adam to the ground. This officer can be seen punching Adam’s head and putting him in a headlock.
Adam is told not to resist by the officers, and Adam shouts back that he is not resisting.
Courtoreille was also arrested that evening but later released with no charges.
After reviewing the footage, senior RCMP officers ruled the arresting officers’ actions “did not meet the threshold for an external investigation.” However, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) started investigating after the footage was released to media.