Concerns over RCMP use of force in Lac La Biche: ‘That is not acceptable’

An Alberta family is asking RCMP to explain its use of force against an Indigenous man after he was thrown on the ground and knocked unconscious this week.

The incident caught on video happened Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Lac La Biche, located about 200 km northeast of Edmonton.

Dennis Boucher, 43, was walking towards an RCMP vehicle and put his hands up in what appeared to be a gesture of surrender.

The video shows the Mountie approaching Boucher, before slamming him into the ground and pulling his hands behind his back.

“I wasn’t sure if he was alive,” his mother, Christine Boucher, told Global News on Thursday.

“It’s something a mother doesn’t want to go through… regardless of how old they are.”

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The mother has security video from the family home, showing an earlier interaction between her son and the officer. She said Boucher had come home intoxicated and was trying to enter his home.

“I have a door keypad and he couldn’t get in. The next thing I see is a police officer walking down my walkway towards him. And as you see in the video, Dennis is going along with him. And there was no fighting,” she said. “All this was uncalled for.”

Christine is concerned about the use of force on her son and how his head hit the ground.

“That is not acceptable. I am not going to let it go,” she said. “Regardless of how old my son is, I will stand up for him.”

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Boucher is now recovering at home with a black eye and soreness over his entire body, his mother said, adding he was also Tasered.

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Christine said her son has been charged with assaulting a peace officer and resisting a peace officer, which court documents confirmed.

Former police officer and Norquest College criminologist Dan Jones said the video does show a significant use of force, but noted it only showed part of the altercation.

“It is ugly, but it is one of those things that you need to know the before and after,” he said.

“You need to know the context.”

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“I agree with the mother, I understand what she’s saying. Her son looks cooperative at that moment and then he gets taken down very hard. It’s just a matter of do we know all of the facts and we don’t right now, but it doesn’t look pretty.”

Jones also noted the video doesn’t capture audio of the interaction between Boucher and the Mountie.

“That’s always the struggle when it comes to these partial videos. But it was a significant use of force for sure, that obviously caused the person to likely lose consciousness or have some injury.”

Shakira Oar lives across the street from the Boucher family. She said she started recording a video after hearing yelling outside and did not see Boucher assault the officer.

“I heard a commotion. Like, I heard talking, I heard shouting. So that’s what caught my attention,” Oar said.

Oar said her neighbour was unconscious for at least 15 minutes. She brought the video to Christine, concerned about Boucher’s interaction with the RCMP.

“We shouldn’t have to feel terrified to ask for help from RCMP, when we just experience all this abuse and neglect from them. The services are supposed to serve and protect us, but we do not feel that at all,” Oar said.

Oar is also Indigenous and said the incident happening right after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is especially upsetting.

“I’m still shaken up about the situation because that was not right.”

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The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said it has not been directed to investigate a matter in Lac La Biche.

“If there was no significant injury and the person wasn’t hospitalized, ASIRT won’t investigate that. That stays within the organization of jurisdiction,” Jones said. “It’s not a huge significant injury and it’s not a shooting or death.”

Boucher’s mother has made a formal complaint to the RCMP and wants the officer involved to be taken off duty.

“He doesn’t belong on the force if he can’t handle his job.”

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As of publishing, the RCMP had not responded to requests for comment from Global News.