Video showing violent arrest of First Nation Chief surfaces

 

FORT MCMURRAY (660 NEWS) – A video showing the violent arrest of a First Nation Chief has surfaced.

RCMP dashcam footage, obtained by CityNews, shows an officer tackling Fort Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam to the ground and punching him multiple times before handcuffing him.

WATCH: Full dashcam video. (Warning: contains language and disturbing content)

The video was taken early on the morning of March 10, shortly after Chief Adam and his wife left a Fort McMurray casino.

The video was entered into a court file on June 11 as part of a court motion to have the criminal charges of resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer stayed.

Chief Adam is calling on the government to investigate the incident which started over expired registration tags on his truck.

Adam says the tags on his truck weren’t up-to-date, but instead of reminding him to renew them, he says the officers “used the occasion to beat and arrest” him.

RELATED: Alleged incidents highlight police brutality in Alberta

The Chief released a picture of himself that he says was taken after the arrest, showing him with a large bruise around his right eye and dried blood on his cheek.

In a statement, the RCMP says members were “required to use force to effect the arrest.”

The office of Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Doug Schweitzer told 660 NEWS that they trust the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) to get to the bottom of the video.

“It’s difficult not to be disturbed by what’s in the video. The matter was referred to ASIRT, Alberta’s independent civilian police review body, to ensure that incidents like these are handled with the proper oversight so Albertans are confident that our police are accountable to the communities they protect. We trust that ASIRT will properly uphold justice.”

Adam will appear in Wood Buffalo provincial court on July 2.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today