A video of an arrest in Kamloops has thousands of views as commenters debate whether the officer used appropriate force.
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Republished August 02, 2023 - 4:34 PM
Original Publication Date August 02, 2023 - 11:42 AM
A Kamloops RCMP officer was recorded making a controversial arrest in front of city hall Monday, and the video is making rounds on the internet.
In the video, Const. Dave Tucker already had one man laying on his front in handcuffs, when he turned to arrest a woman with her dog for obstructing the arrest. The video only shows her speaking to him and yelling at him, but doesn't capture any events before Tucker's first arrest.
Other bystanders can be heard questioning him why he pushed her as Tucker explains that she obstructed him.
At one point, he brandished his taser and later his service weapon, when he appeared to be threatened by the woman's leashed dog. The woman eventually hand over the dog to someone else while she is arrested.
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iNFOnews.ca contacted the original poster of the video, but she hasn't identified herself. She told iNFOnews.ca through Messenger that she couldn't record what happened next because she was also manhandled by Tucker.
She said she was put to the ground as well. She said the constable attempted to break her phone and threw it.
Witness Rob Livingstone told iNFOnews.ca he approached to take the dog after the video concluded. He said he saw the woman recording the video being put to the ground, with the officer's knee to her back. She was not taken into custody. No one has been charged with a crime.
The video has been viewed thousands of times on social media, with commenters debating the merits of whether Tucker acted appropriately.
It's not clear what preceded the arrest and why the man was in handcuffs, as it appears Tucker was at the scene for some time before the recording started.
It's also not clear what the woman may have done to obstruct Tucker during the arrest, but Livingstone said the officer shoved her as she approached during the first man's arrest.
iNFOnews.ca attempted to reach Tucker, but he has not responded.
Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley responded Wednesday afternoon in an email to iNFOnews.ca. He said the detachment is "aware" of the video circulating on social media.
"While we cannot speak to the specifics of the video at this time, we continue to conduct a full review of the circumstances leading up to the arrests as well as the actions of our officer. We are mindful that no charges have been laid against anyone depicted in the video, and that the video only provides a small portion of all of the circumstances. We are also mindful that while the Criminal Code provides the authority for police to use force in order to affect an arrest, the courts have provided that that force must be both reasonable and necessary. Without a complete understanding of the full circumstances, it would irresponsible for us to jump to any conclusion based on the context of this one piece of evidence."
— This story was updated at 4:33 p.m., Aug. 2, 2023, with information from Rob Livingstone and a statement from Kamloops RCMP.
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