RCMP in Nunavut say they’re investigating after a video circulated on social media, showing a police officer ramming a vehicle into a man.
One of the Kinngait RCMP officers involved in the arrest has been removed from the community and placed on administrative duties in the meantime, the RCMP confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement said that a member of the Kinngait community alerted an RCMP officer to an allegedly intoxicated man fighting with other people at around 11:30 p.m. on Monday.
Officers found the man near a residence and arrested him, according to the statement. The man was “checked over by medical staff while in cells,” the statement added.
RCMP said that a video of the arrest was captured “by a member of the community” and an RCMP commanding officer “became aware” of it after it was posted to social media.
That footage shows a man stumbling across a slushy, snowy road before a pick-up truck, with the driver’s door open, pulls up behind him and plows into him, knocking him to the ground.
The officer driving the vehicle gets out and restrains the man on the ground. Three more officers run up to assist, followed by another shortly after.
“The contents of the video gave rise to the concern of the actions of the officer in conducting the arrest,” the statement from RCMP said.
“Immediately following the viewing of the video, the Commanding Officer ordered an independent external statutory investigation and an internal investigation into the actions of the officer.”
Identities of the man who was hit and the police officer are not yet confirmed.
“The RCMP takes the conduct of our officers seriously and want to assure the public we have confidence in the process of the external investigation to determine the circumstances of the event and whether criminal charges should be sworn against the officer,” Cpl. Jamie Savikataaq said in the statement.
“As the matter is now subject of an external criminal investigation and an internal conduct investigation, we cannot comment any further at this time.”