WATCH: An arrest of a transit passenger caught on video is stirring controversy for Transit Police. Julia Foy reports.
A witness who saw a woman taken down by a transit employee in Vancouver alleges excessive force was used to execute her arrest.
Cell phone video shot by passerby Christine Belize captured images of a woman screaming and writhing while being held down by a transit supervisor.
“He was about 350 pounds, she’s 110 pounds and I think it was excessive force he was using on her,” said Belize.
The incident happened at Broadway and Granville around 8:30 p.m. Monday, just moments after the woman was asked to leave a bus.
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Belize thinks the supervisor, who is not part of the Transit Police, was unnecessarily rough with the woman. She claims he was even more forceful before she started recording the incident.
“Before that, it was worse,” said Belize. “She was struggling and twisting and he was twisting with her…it looked like he was going to break her arms and we were all jumping on him to get him to stop doing it.”
Drennan contends the woman may have been intoxicated with drugs or alcohol. Undercover Vancouver police officers took the woman into custody. It’s not known whether she was charged with threatening the female bus driver, or for allegedly punching the supervisor.
“Unfortunately videos are often provided and they’re out of context,” said Drennan. “In this case, there was a scenario that took place prior to anyone taking any kind of video. I think the fact that the woman was arrested and taken to jail speaks for itself.”
-with files from Julia Foy
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