Edmonton police officer charged with assault: ASIRT

EDMONTON -

An Edmonton Police Service constable has been charged with assault after the arrest of a 26-year-old man in June 2019.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was called in to investigate what began as a stolen vehicle call.

On June 11, just before 10 p.m., a stolen Chevrolet Colorado truck was spotted by police, according to an ASIRT news release.

When a marked cruiser started to follow the stolen vehicle, it drove away, police said.

"EPS Air 1 was engaged to locate and follow the vehicle, which eventually stopped in the parking lot of an apartment building in the area of 99 Avenue and 106 Street," the ASIRT news release stated.

"EPS officers responded and were able to box in the stolen vehicle with police vehicles. The driver of the vehicle was ultimately arrested and taken into custody."

Part of the incident was captured on video and shared on social media.

According to ASIRT, the constable now charged with assault used force both before and after handcuffs were applied during the arrest.

On Thursday, Const. Dylan Awid was charged with one count of assault.

The charge relates to uses of force applied after the 26-year-old man was taken into custody and handcuffed, ASIRT said.

Const. Awid was released and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Nov. 18 in Edmonton provincial court.

In a written response to CTV News Edmonton, an EPS spokesperson said they are aware of the charge against Const. Awid.

"As per standard procedure, the EPS will await the conclusion of criminal proceedings before instigating a Police Service Regulation investigation," the statement read in part.

Const. Awid is still on active duty in a non-patrol capacity.