On Thursday night in northwest Edmonton, a situation in which police were arresting a man was captured on video.
The Edmonton Police Service says the suspect was fleeing in a truck allegedly disguised to hide it had been stolen. There are questions being raised if the force used during the arrest was appropriate.
It happened on Yellowhead Trail near 215 Street, just before 11 p.m. Thursday.
Edmonton police said officers were doing proactive patrols when a dodge ram pickup truck entered into a criminal flight, quickly lost control and hit a utility barrier in a grass ditch.
Police said the suspect ignored clear police direction by revving his engine and unsuccessfully attempting to flee.
A witness in another vehicle on a side road began recording when the man got out of the truck. In the video, the man claims he dodged a porcupine and that’s how he ended up in the ditch, while police are heard yelling for the man to put his hands up.
The man obeyed and then walked towards the officers. Police told the man to turn around and that’s when they used their conducted energy weapon (CEW), commonly referred to by its brand name Taser.
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The man immediately fell to the ground. Officers told him not to move and to put his hands up to the side and get on his face/front of his body.
That’s when the officers deployed a second shot through the CEW.
The witness who captured the video, Jordanna Kreider, did not know why the man was being arrested but told global news she was shocked by what she saw.
“It was pretty traumatizing, honestly, to see his body drop down on the ground like that and to see him convulsing. You could just tell he was in pain,” Kreider said.
University of Alberta criminologist Dr. Temitope Oriola said it’s the second use of the Taser, once the suspect was already on the ground, that he is focused on.
“The second deployment in my mind looks like another instance of gratuitous force,” Oriola said.
“I think this encounter could have ended in no use of any force other than verbal commands.”
Police say the truck is believed to be stolen and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) changed.
The man, whose name Edmonton Police did not release, was arrested and charged with criminal flight, driving while suspended, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a device for the purpose of committing theft. Police said more charges are pending in relation to the VIN being changed.
While the EPS could not speak to the use of the Taser in that specific incident, they said the Edmonton Police Service follows strict policies and procedures for the use of CEWs.
“Every deployment requires mandatory reporting, supervisory review, and data verification. Individuals impacted receive immediate medical assessment and ongoing monitoring. Oversight mechanisms, including internal audits and public reporting, ensure accountability and transparency. These safeguards ensure CEWs are used lawfully, proportionately, and in keeping with the highest standards of safety, medical practice, and public trust,” an EPS spokesperson said.
“Officers are required to make a split-second assessment of the level of risk in each incident, and to use force that is proportionate to the situation. This critical decision making includes an assessment of factors including lighting conditions, the subject’s behaviour, mental state, presence of a weapon, or proximity to others who may be put at risk by the subject.”
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