The video shows the arrest of 25-year-old Christopher Barron, who is facing several charges after Monday’s incident in northeast Calgary.
The Calgary Police Service is defending its officers’ use of force in an arrest captured on video that is making the rounds online, but advocates feel it was unnecessary and are calling for an investigation.
The video shows the arrest of 25-year-old Christopher Barron, who has been charged with assaulting a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest following the incident on Monday.
Barron was released from custody and will appear in court on May 28.
The three-minute video shows up to four officers attempting to restrain Barron, as he shouts he can’t breathe.
Later in the video, an officer can be seen driving their knee into Barron’s head, neck and shoulder area.
“The community has a lot of frustration, we’re having a lot of traumatizing flashbacks about this,” said Adam Massiah with the United Black People Allyship.
Massiah, who has been in contact with Barron, said he may require a neck brace due to the incident.
In a statement posted to social media, the Calgary Police Service confirmed it is aware of the video online depicting the arrest, and noted it is “unfortunate that this situation escalated to the point that force had to be used.”
“We appreciate that 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,” the statement reads.
According to CPS, a patrol officer saw an equipment violation on a vehicle in Castleridge but when they attempted to engage the person in the car, the officer was “verbally dismissed,” and the person went into a nearby store.
CPS said the driver refused to cooperate with the officer and refused to provide identification, after being asked multiple times.
According to CPS, the officer attempted to de-escalate the situation and gain voluntary compliance “for what is ordinarily a brief & 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 & bring the situation under control,” CPS said in its statement.
Tom Engel, the chair of the Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association policing committee, said he had several concerns after watching the video.
“My initial impression is that there is an awful lot of force going on. I’m concerned he’s repeatedly saying, ‘I can’t breathe,’” Engel said. “One officer has got his knee in his neck area, and at another point there’s a knee on his head.
CPS’s assertion the online video partially shows the entire interaction is correct, according to Mount Royal University criminal justice professor Doug King, who said he didn’t see anything inappropriate in the video.
“There was a certain amount of use of force, there’s no doubt about that, but from what the Calgary Police Service said in their post that it was a justifiable use of force,” King told Global News.
But advocates are calling for an investigation into the incident, and plan to register a complaint with the police service, with a sentiment the CPS response to the video lacked empathy and understanding.
“This man was doing absolutely nothing, he was going about his daily business, and was harassed, racially profiled and attacked by the CPS officers,” Massiah said.
The Calgary Police Service said the entire interaction was captured on officer-worn body cameras, and that an individual involved in a situation with police they felt was inappropriate are encouraged to contact the Professional Standards Section.
“It’s hurtful and it works against the progression we’re trying to make and the relationships we’re trying to mend between CPS and the black community in Calgary,” Massiah said.
On the advice of his lawyer, Barron declined an interview but didn’t want Global News to blur his face in the video.
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