Kelowna Mountie acquitted in violent arrest set for code of conduct hearing | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Kelowna Mountie acquitted in violent arrest set for code of conduct hearing

A Kelowna RCMP officer who was acquitted of assault following a violent arrest is set for an internal code of conduct hearing.

Kelowna RCMP Const. Siggy Emmit-Steven Pietrzak is facing three allegations and is scheduled for an internal hearing next month.

Const. Pietrzak stands accused of acting in a manner that might discredit the force as well as an accusation regarding the use of force.

It's unknown what incident the allegations are in response to and the police conduct board hasn't given any other details about the hearing as yet.

However, Const. Pietrzak was involved in a high-profile violent arrest in 2020.

Video footage posted to social media showed the Kelowna Mountie running up to a man being arrested by two other officers and repeatedly punching him.

Pietrzak was charged with assault following the arrest but was found not guilty in December 20222 when a judge found that under the circumstances that amount of force was reasonable.

The victim identified themselves as Kelowna resident Tyler Russell and launched a civil case against Const. Pietrzak, the Attorney General of Canada and the B.C. Minister of Justice.

In the lawsuit, Russell alleges that was sitting in his work vehicle on the passenger side with the vehicle turned off when he was approached by two RCMP officers. The officers asked him to get out of the vehicle but he refused. He also refused a breathalyzer test and said he was not operating the motor vehicle and the keys were not in his possession or near him.

Separately, a year after the video came out Const. Pietrzak was charged with assault again.

The charge was for a single count of spousal assault for an incident that was said to have taken place four years early in 2017. It's unclear what took place, or why the charge was laid four years after the incident, but the crown prosecutors stayed the charge in May last year.


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