WATCH: Hotel staff use zip-tie to restrain Winnipeg indigenous woman brandishing knife

Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) is investigating an incident involving an indigenous woman wielding a knife on Christmas Day at the Marlborough Hotel downtown. Hotel staff restrained the woman with a zip-tie and a video of the woman with her hands tied behind her back was shared on social media, sparking an outcry from the indigenous community. A group of First Nations protestors gathered at the hotel for a demonstration on January 21 to demand answers from police as to why an indigenous woman was allowed to be restrained in such a way and kept from leaving the building. .WPS Const. Claude Chancy confirmed the young woman, whose name and age were undisclosed to protect her identity, was brandishing a knife at people in the hotel lobby. She was charged with assault with a weapon. WPS was called twice on December 25, Chancy said. The first call was at 10:30 a.m. about an adult female trespassing on hotel property, a call the police did not respond to. The police were called again at 1:10 p.m. with a report the woman attempted to stab an employee with the knife. Chancy said an employee used a zip-tie to keep her arms restrained behind her back until WPS arrived. "She was turned over to officers, placed under arrest and subsequently charged with assault with a weapon," Chancy said, per CBC. WPS has opened a new investigation due to the video circulating on social media, where the woman accused staff of abusing her, to determine if the incident could be classified as a citizen’s arrest. Under the law, wrist ties can be used to restrain people during a citizen’s arrest, Chancy said, though it is unclear if this constitutes as such. “Is it preferable to use handcuffs? Of course. However, in the circumstance, if that is what is available to people involved to safely restrain the person to prevent harm to themselves or others, that is acceptable — not preferred but acceptable," Chancy said.Marlborough Hotel general manager Rakib Hoque said in a statement he witnessed the incident. The woman was intoxicated and “brandishing a knife” while threatening people inside. “WPS were immediately called and advised us to protect our guests and staff, which we did using wrist restraints on this individual,” Hoque said.“We want to assure the community that our only intention was to prevent this young woman from harming herself or others until the WPS arrived.”