Winnipeg police say there’s more to the story than what’s shown in a video clip circulating on social media.
“It’s a tough video to watch and shows the use of force by our officers,” said Const. Jay Murray Friday.
The video, taken Thursday morning during an arrest, shows officers arresting a man near the Centennial Concert Hall.
During the man’s arrest, an officer approaches and kicks the man twice while officers try to handcuff him.
Police said Thursday that the man “appeared to be on methamphetamine” and allegedly damaged a large granite slab and used a brick to smash a window at the concert hall.
“He then brandished a handgun, terrifying pedestrians and resulting in multiple calls to 911,” said police.
“He discarded the handgun but refused to comply with the officer’s demands to get on the ground. He assaulted one of the officers but was forced to the ground.”
- 2 teens charged with murder in case of 16-year-old killed outside Halifax mall
- Green Party deputy leader given jail sentence for Fairy Creek old growth protests
- Cars torched, explosions heard in suspected arson in Montreal neighbourhood
- Gas station clerk stabbed several times during violent attack at Ultramar in Montreal
Police said they struggled to handcuff the man, and they found a knife and a heavy bar on the man as well.
“The male was taken into custody without any injuries. Officers recovered the handgun at the scene.”
The man, 33, faces a slew of charges and is in custody.
“The female officer, I heard her say ‘put the gun down’ three times, and I turned around and this guy suspect would not put that gun down,” said a witness named Tom, who spoke with Global News.
“It could have ended up a lot worse … we could have been shot.”
A second video shown to media shows the man throwing the gun on the ground, much like spiking a football, before walking down the street.
Officers approach the man from behind, yelling at him to stay down.
The man does not comply, so officers bring him down to the pavement.
A different angle shows the same scene as the one distributed on social media but is much clearer.
When the officer kicks the man, he is aiming for the man’s shoulder, said Murray, in an attempt to get the man to bring his hands out from underneath him to handcuff him.
The concern was a knife that was in the man’s waistband, Murray added. Had the man managed to grab the knife, the outcome could have been worse.
“The information that we received … the firearm is not the only thing we’re looking for on this individual, that he could be armed with.”
Police use force in about 1 in 250 arrests, said Murray, adding the number is coming down.
“This man admitted to using a significant … amount of methamphetamines. That came from the individual.”
Crime specialist and former Toronto police officer, Ross McLean, says the type of kicks seen in the video are a taught technique to bring a person’s hands out from underneath them.
“Whenever you see, generally speaking, the punches and kicks that go towards the ears, head, top of someone, and police do not have the person’s wrists, that’s the goal,” McLean said.
“So when the hands come out, the wrists can be grabbed and the wrists can be secured in handcuffs.”
Christian Leuprecht of the Royal Military College of Canada said the video shows the person “posed a serious risk to public and officer safety – and to himself.”
“At one point you see an officer with a C-7 in his hand … that’s a clear sign of imminent danger to someone’s life and the presence of a firearm.”
Leuprecht said the man appears to be too impaired to listen to police commands.
“During the kicking incidents, it appears that officers are disarming him; so, the kick may have been reasonable if the suspect did have a weapon in that hand – whether it was necessary is a (different) question.
“It’s a good example of a video clip that doesn’t tell the whole story.”
Murray said the police are criticized for almost everything they do, and that is expected.
“But we have an obligation to correct misinformation.”
Comments