Mountie didn’t use unlawful force: Crown

A Terrace Mountie will not be punished for allegedly punching a man in the head 10 times and throwing him from a police car, the Criminal Justice Branch announced Wednesday.

Crown counsel has concluded that the varying accounts of witnesses, a useof-force expert and medical evidence do not indicate the officer used unlawful force in the arrest of local resident William Watts on May 15, 2012.

On that day two officers responded to Watts’ home after a hang-up, 911 call. Watts said he made the call to report his concerns about a person at the residence.

When police ended up arresting a third man for an alleged breach of bail, that’s when Watts began acting aggressively, police say.

Five witnesses allege the officer who arrested Watts struck him in the face multiple times, but their accounts differ on where and when he was punched.

One witness said Watts asked police, “what would you do if I spit on you?” Another witness stated Watts was struck in the head five times by a flashlight, while yet another said officers put a bag over his head.

According to police, a “spit hood” was placed on Watts after the arresting officer tried numerous times to force his head sideways as the man “made a gargling or hocking sound and puckered his lips,” according to a justice branch summary.

Police say Watts would not let them close the car door after him, and did not want to be spat on while repositioning him.

The use-of-force expert opined that Watts shouldn’t have been forced from the vehicle, which resulted in him landing on his shoulder and the side of his face.