Police watchdog clears Edmonton officer who punched suspect in head 7 times during 2023 arrest in parking garage

An Edmonton police officer who punched a suspect in the head seven times during a 2023 arrest in a parking garage has been cleared by the province’s police watchdog.

The officer’s use of force, which was caught on surveillance footage and went viral online, was justified because the then 18-year-old suspect threw a punch at the officer first, according to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).

ASIRT says that was a key element in the decision, calling the officer’s response – landing seven punches in six seconds – “reasonable action in self defence.”

In an interview given to ASIRT a year after the Feb. 22, 2023, altercation, the suspect maintained he never attempted a swing at the officer – something the police watchdog felt was not corroborated by video evidence.

“The EPS appreciates ASIRT’s thorough review of this incident and its findings that our officer’s actions were reasonable given the actions of the subject involved and risks presented in that situation,” an Edmonton Police Service spokesperson told CityNews.

“We note that previous video shown on social media lacked context and appreciate that ASIRT was able to obtain additional evidence that provided this context and subsequently confirmed there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence was committed.”

The officer’s first three punches were thrown while both men were standing. The two then fell to the ground in the struggle, and the final four punches happened with the suspect’s head on the concrete sidewalk.

The police watchdog says “the use of force may have become unreasonable quickly” had the officer continued to punch the suspect while he was down.

“A punch delivered when a person’s head is on or near a solid surface like a sidewalk can cause serious injuries when the head impacts the sidewalk or cannot move due to being against the sidewalk,” the report reads. “These punches are different than a punch delivered to a standing person and police officers must use great care when considering such uses of force.

“This situation, however, was only up to six seconds long and was dynamic and unexpected.”

The suspect was then turned onto his stomach and handcuffed “with no obvious resistance.” He was charged with obstructing and assaulting an officer, but those charges were later withdrawn.

“All uses of forces are ugly, and it’s really easy for us to sit back and watch this video when you’re not in that police officer’s shoes at the time, right?” said Dan Jones, a former Edmonton police inspector.

“But in the heat of the moment, did that police officer feel that they were threatened? Yeah, I think the punch at them was clear.

“Anyone who’s ever been in a fight knows that your emotions can take over you, and the police are still humans, and if they feel like they’re in a fight, they’re going to use force.”

The interaction began because police say the suspect was speeding and not slowing down for speed bumps around 106 Avenue and 92 Street, shortly before midnight. The suspect told the watchdog he was driving normally at around the posted speed limit of 50km/h.

The officers pulled their police vehicle behind the suspect’s. That triggered a discussion between the officer and suspect, who later threw the first punch, according to ASIRT.

The EPS professional standards branch will now review ASIRT’s decision and determine next steps under the Police Service Regulation (PSR).

–With files from Lauren Boothby