Alleged incidents highlight police brutality in Alberta
Posted Jun 8, 2020 10:02 am.
Last Updated Jun 8, 2020 10:09 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — As protests continue in Canada, the United States and around the world against racism and police brutality, two alleged incidents show the issue hits close to home.
Over the weekend, a First Nations chief came forward with allegations he was abused by an RCMP officer during a benign traffic stop in March.
RELATED: Indigenous chief alleges RCMP beat him during arrest over expired license plates
Allan Adam was stopped in Fort McMurray for having expired registration on his vehicle after leaving a casino with his wife and niece.
He said the situation quickly turned sour when a second officer showed up out of nowhere.
“I looked up and he didn’t say nothing and by the time that I noticed he was coming and he just gave me, what you would call in the wrestling world, a clothesline.”
A photo showed the extent of Adam’s injuries, and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating.
The federal government is also keeping an eye on the case, as Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, the former chief of police in Toronto, called the incident “deeply troubling.”
Another arrest came to light over the weekend as well, with a video showing a police officer in Edmonton driving their knee into the back of a man lying on the ground.
WATCH: Under investigation: Witness claims EPS assaulted a man
The incident occurred in August of 2019. The man cries out for help, while an officer tells him that he shouldn’t have run away and also appears to call him a “fat f***”.
Edmonton police did not release many details about the incident but added in a moment on Facebook that the matter had been referred to the Crown Prosecutor’s office and they will determine if charges are needed.
-With files from The Canadian Press.
