What was supposed to be a pit stop for water turned into a case of being wrongfully detained. It was not how Dominick Louison pictured his day ending after his workday.
On July 31, 2023, at 4:00 p.m., Regina resident Louison stopped at Wal-Mart on Rochdale to fill up his water jugs before heading home. He noticed there were several cops outside but didn’t think too much about it.
“I thought it’d be okay just to go in and get water. So, I went inside … to the back to get some apple juice, and I seen the cops walking around,” he said. “One of the cops nudged his partner and … he looked at me like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Fifteen minutes later, there was about four or five of them behind me asking to put my hands behind my back.”
Louison said the police told him he fit the description of someone who was wanted on a warrant. Moments later, he was told not to resist arrest as he questioned as to why he was being detained.
“I raised my voice … out of anger (because) I was embarrassed,” he said. “There was a lot of people really staring at me, like I just finished stealing or something.”
Louison said the police requested his name and after he told it, they requested a wallet which he said was in his pocket.
“They looked at my wallet and … pulled out two pieces of ID. One was my treaty card (and) one was my driver’s license,” he said. “They still kept me handcuffed until one of the boss cops came and told me that I could be charged for being loud and making a scene in Wal-Mart.”
Louison said he was detained for 15 to 20 minutes and during that time, he described how tight the handcuffs were on his wrists that left visible marks. When the police officers were instructed to release him, Louison said he left empty handed due to the sheer embarrassment.
The memory replays over in his head and he is reminded when he looks at the marks on his wrists. Louison said due to the incident, he now fears to enter into any retail stores now which he believes happened due to the colour of his skin.
“There was another individual that was by me (who) had tattoos also, but he was lighter skinned than me,” he said. “You could hear him on the video saying, ‘Oh, I seen them look at your tattoos. And then they came up and arrested you right after that.’ So, it was either me or him and they took the guy that was darker skinned.”
Louison is from the Kahkewistahaw First Nation who is self-employed as a sub-contractor. He considers himself a family man who enjoys spending his free time with his family and going out to his reserve to hunt.
In speaking out about his experience, Louison wants a formal apology from the Regina Police Service, for them to do better on how they handle searching for someone and to realize their actions cause harm especially to those who appear as Indigenous.
“Going in there and being a native with tattoos, I had this bad feeling about going inside,” he said. “I have tattoos on my arms, on my legs, on my neck, on my chest. I have tattoos all over my body. It’s no reason to be racial profiling.”
In an email response from the Regina Police Service, they confirmed that officers attended this incident to follow a report that someone, who was wanted by Broadview RCMP, was inside the business.
“The suspect was wanted in relation to a home invasion that took place a few days prior on the Ochapowace First Nation,” stated RPS. “Due to these very serious charges, our officers quickly fanned out throughout the business searching for the suspect who was described as having several tattoos and spiked hair. Our officers believed Mr. Louison matched this description and, as such, was placed in handcuffs while our officers confirmed his identity. It took a short time to confirm that he was not the suspect, and he was released.”
RPS stated that officers located the suspect a short time later in another part of the business and was arrested for aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, break and enter, weapon possession and weapon possession contrary to order.
Louison said he plans on filing a formal complaint and will be speaking with advocates to ensure this type of behaviour from police is properly addressed.
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