Knife image, video of woman holding it prior to being shoved by officer released by Edmonton police
An Edmonton Police Service officer who shoved a woman to the ground before arresting her in an act caught on camera did his job properly, the acting chief told police commissioners Thursday afternoon.
EPS also released during the meeting an image of the knife and surveillance video of a woman holding it prior to the officer arriving, after a protest and demands from the public.
The arrest happened last Thursday afternoon in the area of 100 Street and 106 Avenue.
"This is how we train and expect our officers to respond to circumstances where a weapon is reported or observed. This officer did his job," Deputy Chief Devin Laforce said.
"Without the entire context of the situation, seeing the video clip can be alarming. However, the full circumstances of the event deemed it a reasonable response from the officer."
The officer, who has not been named, was flagged down on the streets of Chinatown and asked to respond to a "knife fight" in the street, police said.
The officer arrived within "seconds," which is what council and the public want from officers, EPS Chief of Staff Justin Krikler added.
The officer had reason to believe the woman was "brandishing a knife" during a dispute with another person, Laforce said, and the video supports that, showing two women in the middle of the street.
Laforce said he was happy to stand by the officer and his actions and was glad that no one was seriously injured.
"Use of force is an unpleasant reality of policing, but one required to gain control of a situation and prevent further risk to the individual, the public and the officer," Laforce said.
The acting chief told reporters that buying body and vehicle cameras for EPS officers is "an ongoing discussion" but no decision has been made yet.
Police have not released the name of the woman involved because she was not charged. She was intoxicated at the time of the push, police said, and she was released after being given a meal.
Several police commissioners questioned officers about the push, but none of them clearly stated they felt it was wrong.
"Houselessness of Indigenous women has tripled since pre-COVID. So we are going to see more and more incidents unless we strategize collectively on how we might solve these complex problems," said police commissioner Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, who thanked the officers in the room for their service.
Nina Laderoute, an Indigenous woman who attended the meeting out of concern with the officer's actions, said the new video didn't change her stance that he acted with more force than necessary.
"I would want someone to stop me from hurting someone, I would not want them to commit an assault on me when they think I might hurt someone, before I have lunged or made any kind of physical movement to harm," she told reporters after the meeting.
Laderoute was among several community members who protested at EPS headquarters. At a rally on Sunday some called the shove "gross behaviour."
"He's darn lucky she never hit her head and died right there on the sidewalk," said Judith Gale with the Bear Clan Beaver Hills House.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Diego Romero and Joe Scarpelli
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.