A woman shoved to the ground while allegedly armed with a knife was not charged, Edmonton police said several days after video of the initial incident triggered a large public outcry.
Last Thursday afternoon, a 12-second video was recorded of the interaction with a woman and an Edmonton Police Service member on 100 Street between 105 and 106 avenues.
According to both the person who took the video and Edmonton police, two women on the street across from the Hope Mission in Chinatown were having an argument when police were flagged down.
Police said the woman was armed with a knife, refused to drop it and attempted to walk away from the officer.
It’s at this point in the video when she was shoved from behind by the officer and fell to the ground.
EPS said the knife in question was seized by police while the woman was arrested for possession of a weapon dangerous to the public.
The video quickly made the rounds on the internet and was shared wide on platforms like Facebook, Reddit and Twitter, including by some on city council.
On Monday, police said they did not end up laying charges against the unnamed woman.
“As intoxication was considered a factor in the weapon’s complaint and there was no willing complainant, officers chose not to charge the woman,” a statement from spokesperson Carolin Maran said.
“Instead, her outstanding warrants were processed, she was provided a meal and when officers felt she no longer presented a danger to others, she was released. As charges were not laid in relation to this incident, we will not be releasing her name or other additional investigative details.”
Edmonton police said it obtained CCTV from the area the area of the incident, which the force said captured the event from a different angle to confirm the woman was holding a knife.
When asked on Monday for the video to be released, police said they would not be sharing it.
Last week, police said there were no grounds for an investigation by the EPS Professional Standards Branch.