A Ridge Meadows RCMP officer has been reassigned to administrative duties and is being investigated following a violent takedown of a man suspected of being drunk behind the wheel of a truck.
The vehicle was parked, according to the woman who initially phoned police and shot video of the altercation involving the officer.
RCMP have said the footage raises questions about how the situation was handled.
The video shows a man leaning up against the hood of a blue pickup truck in Maple Ridge Park.
The officer then holds the man with one hand while reviewing paper work. After a few moments of leaning against the hood, the man, who is not handcuffed, is moved towards the cab of the vehicle. After the man seems to raise his left arm behind him, the officer grabs him by the shoulders and slams him backwards on to the dirt. The video then shows the officer carrying the limp man by the shirt and pants and loading him into the back of a SUV police cruiser.
Some on social media have condemned the actions of the officer.
Others have praised him, rather questioning the motives of the man who was in the truck.
“Would you rather have him drive?”
So he deserved it?
Whether the man intended to drive might not be as important as if he was legally in charge of the vehicle.
Police said he failed a sobriety test, although he didn’t appear to take one before being slammed to the ground.
We don’t know what was said before that. If he was belligerent or resisted arrest, to what degree would warrant such physical force? Was it necessary?
There is much supposition here, and the RCMP will have to answer to all of it.
We mustn’t rush to judge based on the video alone.
But it is comforting to know that we are looking out for one another.
– The News
