Edmonton police officer caught on video shoving woman to ground

In a video shared widely on social media, an Edmonton police officer can be seen pushing a woman to the ground.

But Edmonton police say the use of force doesn’t merit an investigation because the suspect was armed with a knife.

The video was taken near Edmonton’s Hope Mission Thursday afternoon.

The person who took the video and the woman being pushed are both part of Edmonton’s houseless population.

“It was so disheartening to watch,” said Judith Gale, an advocate with the Edmonton Bear Clan Patrol. “I feel so badly for our little sister who is less than 100 pounds and was assaulted by EPS as she was walking away.”

The Edmonton Bear Clan spoke out on behalf of the bystander who took the video, who didn’t want to speak in fear of their safety.

In the 13-second video, the officer can be seen walking towards the woman, who has her back to him and is walking away.

As she turns to face him, the officer shoves her to the ground. He proceeds to grab her arms, while another officer runs towards them.

Police say they were flagged down by community members as two women were about to fight. One of the women was allegedly armed with a knife.

“The officer directed the woman to drop the knife, but she refused, expressing her affiliation to a criminal gang, and walked away in an area where bystanders were present,” the Edmonton Police Service said in statement to CityNews.

“The officer considered his use of force options, given the suspect was armed, and determined pushing her to the ground would require the least amount of force possible to allow him to safely arrest the suspect.”

WATCH: Original video of Edmonton police officer shoving woman (viewer discretion)

Gale says the community members who were witnesses want to see proof there was a knife.

“It’s my understanding she said something to him that set him off,” she said. “Irrespective to what she said, it gives him no right to violently attack her.”

Police say the officer appears to have done nothing wrong.

“The knife in question was seized by police. The suspect was not injured. The suspect was arrested for possession of a weapon dangerous to the public. The EPS has obtained CCTV from the area that captured the event and confirms the report of the incident. Upon review of the incident, there are currently no grounds for an investigation by the EPS Professional Standards Branch”.

The woman was found to have outstanding warrants, but no charges were laid and she has since been released.