Kelowna Mountie facing new charge, this time spousal assault | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Kelowna Mountie facing new charge, this time spousal assault

A Kelowna RCMP officer charged earlier this year for assaulting a suspect during an arrest is facing another charge for a separate assault that took place several years, iNFOnews.ca has learned.

RCMP Const. Siggy Emmit-Steven Pietrzak was charged with spousal assault June 1, for an incident that allegedly took place in May 2017.

The circumstances surrounding the latest assault charge aren't yet known and it's unclear why the charge was laid four years after the alleged incident took place.

The RCMP Constable made headlines last year after multiple videos captured the Mountie during a violent arrest in Kelowna’s downtown.

The video showed a man, who appeared to be intoxicated, being struck in the face multiple times by an RCMP officer.

The incident led to internal investigations and ultimately Const. Pietrzak was charged with one count of assault in April.

The intoxicated person in the video identified themselves as Kelowna resident Tyler Russell and he filed a civil suit in June 2020 against Const. Pietrzak, the Attorney General of Canada and the B.C. Minister of Justice.

READ MORE: Man seen on video in violent Kelowna arrest sues RCMP officer

Russell alleges the assault led to physical and emotional harm.

In the lawsuit, Russell claims to have been sitting in his work vehicle on the passenger side – with the vehicle turned off – when he was approached by two RCMP officers who asked him to get out of the vehicle.

He then refused to get out and refused a breathalyzer test, arguing he was not operating the motor vehicle and the keys were not in his possession or near him.

Both Pietrzak's charges are currently moving through the court system.

The Kelowna RCMP did not reply to our request for comment by press time.


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