Watchdog called in to investigate arrest
Man went into ‘medical distress’ while being taken into police custody on Friday
Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating after a man went into medical distress following an arrest by Edmonton police Friday night.
“ASIRT is investigating an incident involving Edmonton police where a man went into medical distress following an arrest,” said Sue Hughson, executive director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).
The statement came after a 25-minute video was posted online. The video appears to show police taking down a man during an arrest. A man is later shown to be dragged into a police vehicle. Later in the video it appears a man is being given CPR before he is loaded into an ambulance.
“He was pretty limp and he wasn’t moving,” said Dylon McLemore, who shot and posted the video.
McLemore said the event took place Friday evening on 114 Street between 104 Avenue and Jasper Avenue. McLemore said the entire event took approximately 10 to 20 minutes. He said the scene was taped off by police into the early hours of Saturday morning.
“It was taped off until like 5:30 in the morning, I stayed up, I was still just shocked about what happened.”
“Given it’s an ASIRT investigation, we will not be commenting at this time,” said Edmonton police spokeswoman Cheryl Sheppard.
ASIRT investigates incidents involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct. The organization’s website says ASIRT investigations are assigned by the director of law enforcement.
It was taped off until like 5:30 in the morning. I stayed up, I was still just shocked.
Last month ASIRT was directed to investigate after a woman was shot and killed by police in Calgary.
An RCMP officer in Slave Lake was charged with assault on June 6 following an ASIRT investigation into a September 2017 altercation between Const. Licio Soares and a man under arrest.
ASIRT was directed to probe 71 cases last year ranging from fatal motor vehicle accidents involving police to physical altercations to the review of other police files from out of province. In 2018, ASIRT charged two officers after being assigned to 70 files.