Alberta’s police watchdog has ruled Calgary police acted within the law when officers used force to arrest a teenage protestor who spat at one of them during a downtown demonstration in November 2023.The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) released its findings Thursday, saying officers were reasonable and proportionate in their actions as they tried to keep order after part of the protest broke away and blocked the intersection of 4 Ave. S.E. and Macleod Tr.The teen, identified only as the affected person, was at the front of the group when he spat at an officer. Body-worn camera footage confirmed the spit, ASIRT said. .That officer immediately pulled him through the police line, assisted by others who took him to the ground and handcuffed him. He was released without charges at the scene but warned that charges could still follow.The teen later told investigators he was only chanting slogans and selling flags when police targeted him. He denied spitting, claimed officers struck him with a baton, and said he was forced to the icy ground where he complained he could not breathe. He was treated in hospital for a concussion and discharged the next day..Medical records and video evidence were reviewed, along with statements from civilian witnesses and the teen’s father, who arrived shortly after the arrest. ASIRT determined officers did not go beyond what was necessary to control the situation.The watchdog concluded there are no grounds for charges, finding the officers’ actions “proportionate, necessary, and reasonable.”
