ASIRT says reasonable force used during fatal police altercation in Calgary in 2021

A report by Alberta’s police watchdog determined an officer used reasonable force in an altercation that resulted in the death of a man in northeast Calgary.

The report conducted by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was released on Wednesday, the watchdog started the investigation on July 12, 2021.

On July 8, 2021, police responded to a call of a suspicious truck driver, later identified as Ramon “Will” Perez, who was believed to be drunk on Abalone Place NE in the community of Abbeydale.

Police say in the report the caller said Perez was parked outside his house trying to speak with his young children, and he suspected Perez might be drunk based off of his behaviour. Perez eventually left, but the caller followed him, worried he might kidnap other children.

Perez had visited a friend in the area with terminal cancer, who lived by the caller’s home, and was asking the children for directions out of the neighborhood. Perez got lost trying to get out and returned to where he was before, which led to the caller calling police.

The ASIRT report says that after asking for documentation, the responding officer suspected Perez might in fact be impaired, and began an impaired investigation.

The report says the officer first tried to arrest Perez peacefully, but after resisting arrest numerous times was dealt several knee strikes to his midriff.

Perez was eventually placed into custody. He complained about chest pain, and EMS assessed him before he was released.

In the report, police say EMS offered to take the man to the South Health Campus, but he refused, wanting only to go to the Peter Lougheed Centre.

Police drove Perez home, who immediately went to Peter Lougheed with his wife after the officer left. Doctors determined the next day he needed to be taken to Foothills Medical Centre for immediate surgery.

He died on July 10, 2021 from his injuries and cirrhosis, an endstage liver disease.

The report says Perez was told to stop drinking hard liquor due to his cirrhosis, and his wife said he used to drink more, though he would drink occasionally.

Perez’s wife’s ex-brother-in-law, who was looking after the friend, said there was a “hint” of alcohol from Perez’s breath, but he seemed sober during his visit.

Section 25 of the Criminal Code lets a police officer use force if they deem it reasonable to carry out their duties, according to the ASIRT report.

An autopsy was performed and a medical examiner determined that the knee strikes resulted in his death, though Perez’s liver cirrhosis and acute ethanol intoxication may have also been contributing factors that played a part in it.

ASIRT is called in to investigate any interactions involving police that result in death or serious injury.