A marathon runner’s story about being picked up by Saskatoon police and taken to the outskirts of the city has left Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand feeling uneasy.
Ken Thomas said two officers put him in the back of an unmarked vehicle Saturday night when he left a bar to have a cigarette.
“This kind of stuff shouldn’t be happening … and I believe it did happen,” Arcand said.
The officers told Thomas he fit the description of a person who was rummaging through vehicles, the complainant told Global News.
“This is kind of putting a damper on reconciliation inside the city of Saskatoon and it should never be that way,” Arcand said.
WATCH: Ken Thomas says officers dropped him off outside Saskatoon
The head of the STC said a solution will only be found through collaboration with police and that he is putting his faith in an investigation into the allegations.
“We still want to be positive and we want to trust the system as long as the system is being fair and accountable,” he said.
In a statement, a Saskatoon police spokesperson said Tuesday that the organization considers the allegations very serious.
Members will also co-operate with an investigation that would include reviewing GPS logs and in-car video automatically recorded when the vehicle’s back door opens, police said.
The Saskatchewan Complaints Commission would be tasked with investigating Thomas’ complaint.
Investigator Ed Miller said the probe won’t begin until Thomas participates in an in-person interview and signs off on it.
“I’m not signing anything without legal counsel,” Thomas told Global News.