The Calgary Police Service (CPS) has responded to allegations of violence after a video circulated on social media portraying a CPS shakedown on a defiant motorist.
Video footage shows four cops holding down a man who is kicking and screaming on pavement of a parking lot repeatedly shouting, “I can’t breathe.”
The caption of the post alleges the scuffle was over a “dirty license plate. CPS released a statement in response to the video, with an explanation of the circumstance.
The incident took place Monday afternoon in Castleridge, where a patrol officer “observed an equipment violation on a vehicle and attempted to engage the person in the car.”
“The person verbally dismissed the officer and entered a nearby store,” wrote CPS in a statement on X.
“The driver…refused to cooperate with the officer or to provide identification, despite being asked multiple times.”
“The officer attempted to deescalate the situation and gain voluntary cooperation for what is ordinarily a brief and innocuous encounter. Ultimately, the officer was forced to arrest the individual and in effecting the arrest, they were met with resistance. Additional officers responded to the scene to assist their colleague and bring the situation under control.”
CPS acknowledged “videos depicting use of force can be uncomfortable to watch.”
“It is important to note that this video only depicts a small portion of the entire interaction – the part where the individual was arrested,” wrote CPS.
“The posted video does not depict the entire interaction or what led up to officers having to use force.”
The police service emphasized officers are trained to deal with such situations, and “it is unfortunate that this situation escalated to the point that force had to be used.”
“If an individual involved in a situation with police feels they were not dealt with appropriately, we encourage them to contact our Professional Standards Section,” wrote CPS.
“As the community is aware, our officers are issued body-worn cameras, all of which will provide additional recordings of the entire event and not one small snippet,” police added.
