A police dash camera video shows one police officer arresting an Indigenous chief. At the same time, one other police officer is seen tackling him to the ground, punching him, and placing him in a chokehold. The chief's face is seen bleeding as he was handcuffed and placed inside the officials' vehicle.
On Thursday, the video was given to the courts and broadcasted by several news media outlets, and have resulted in the majority of Canadians' shock. The event fueled the currently raging calls of the injustice of systemic racism, as reported by The New York Times.
Eye-opening events
For decades, people have accused police officers of racism against black and Indigenous Canadians. George Floyd's death sparked what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called "an awakening" which resulted in a massive wave of protests across the country calling for racial injustice.
Police officers stopped the chief of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Allan Adam, from northern Alberta, for allegedly having an expired license plate. After a debate that laster for 12 minutes, authorities charged him with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
The video shows Adam growing increasingly frustrated in his conversation with police officers where he accused them of harassing his family. The vehicle, which officers claimed had an expired license plate, was impounded on a separate matter and given back to the chief a few days beforehand.
According to The Guardian, when Adam swears at the officers, they demand him to get back inside his vehicle. When Adam's wife, Freda Courtoreille, stood near the back of their car, one officer briefly grabs her. The move prompts Adam to yell at the officer to keep his hands off his wife.
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As the argument continued, one police officer attempts to grab Adam's arm, and a few moments later, another law enforcement arrives at the scene and tackles the chief to the ground which also allegedly punched him as he was lying on the ground.
The officer yells "F**k you, don't resist arrest!" The officer can also be heard repeatedly ordering to Adam to not resist before putting him in a chokehold.
Adam's wife and onlookers can be heard pleading the officers to stop as officers pinned Adam to the ground. The chief was then handcuffed and taken away into custody as he was bleeding from the encounter.
Horrific scene
Trudeau commented on the video, saying that everyone has seen the horrific video of the indigenous chief's arrest and calls to have justice served. The prime minister stated he had several questions regarding the incident, as reported by Reuters.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) did not immediately comment on the arrest, the one responsible for overseeing the agency, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, said he would monitor the investigation closely.
The RCMP previously reviewed the video and stated the officers' use of force was within reason. An independent agency in Alberta had recently started an investigation into the incident.
Prime Minister Trudeau shared his thoughts that Canadian police officers should be equipped with body cameras.