A screenshot from a Facebook video shows an RCMP officer putting a man who is handcuffed and with pants around ankles into a police vehicle head-first and feet in the air.

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19) and Brock Cullen

"wasn't right," says o'chiese chief

O’Chiese, Town of Rocky, RCMP respond to viral videos of Indigenous man’s arrest

Mar 12, 2022 | 10:16 AM

Two videos posted online this week which show an interaction between a Rocky Mountain House RCMP officer and an Indigenous man are receiving plenty of attention, and for the wrong reasons.

The videos, which can be seen below, were publicly shared on Facebook, and now have more than 1,300 shares and 37,000 views.

The first video shows a man in a parking lot who lies down and is then handcuffed by a police officer, clothes on properly. He’s then picked up and pulled towards a police pick-up truck.

After having cut off for an unknown amount of time, the second video picks up with the man standing next to the police vehicle, cuffed and with his pants around his ankles, before the officer picks him up by the legs and throws him into the back seat head-first.

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According to Staff Sergeant Carl Dinsdale with Rocky Mountain House detachment, three 911 calls were received in a short span from two different businesses. The callers reported an intoxicated man acting in an aggressive manner, who, according to Dinsdale, was running in and out of businesses and throughout traffic.

“Every police interaction with the public that necessitates the use of force in any manner is taken seriously” said Dinsdale. “We are reviewing this matter thoroughly to ensure we are applying the proper policy, procedures, tactics and law when it comes to these interactions. In doing so, we are reaffirming our commitment to providing the best police service possible to the citizens of the Rocky Mountain House detachment area.”

Alberta RCMP also tell rdnewsNOW that they can’t yet comment on how the man’s pants came to be down, as that is part of the RCMP’s internal investigation into the matter. They also confirm that a conducted energy weapon — or taser — was drawn just prior to the man complying, but it was not discharged. Police say at no time was a gun drawn.

O’Chiese First Nation Chief Douglas Beaverbones confirmed to rdnewsNOW that the man seen being put into the RCMP vehicle is from O’Chiese.

“The relationship with RCMP in Rocky… we want to be with them. What happened here, I don’t know if that guy was in a bad mood or what, but that wasn’t right what he did to one of my members,” says Beaverbones. “I’ve talked to the Staff Sergeant and they’re dealing with it, hopefully in a way so that there are no further incidents like this.”

Beaverbones was asked about how the relationship between the RCMP, the Town and O’Chiese could be strengthened.

“We have been working on that. We’ve sat with the town many times, and with council to try and get on the same page. We’re pretty close,” he says. “But we’ve faced these issues for many years. I thought we had a good relationship with RCMP, the Town, and the people of Rocky, and it’s been going well until this incident. I’m not happy with what’s happened and neither are my people because it’s all over social media.”

The Town of Rocky Mountain House issued a statement Wednesday, saying the following:

“The Town of Rocky Mountain House values our Indigenous residents and neighbours. The Town is aware of a video recording of an arrest in Rocky Mountain House, filmed on March 7. The RCMP are contracted as the municipal police force for Rocky Mountain House. As such, the Town will engage RCMP in review and discussion of the video and its contents. The Town of Rocky Mountain House is committed to reconciliation and building relationships with our Indigenous population.”

Dinsdale added neither the man involved, nor the responding officer were injured, and there won’t be any charges laid, RCMP say.

“It’s up to RCMP to make amends,” adds Beaverbones. “We have to keep moving forward though and try to get rid of any of the racist relations between all of us. We need to work together toward unity.”

RCMP emphasized that it believes in processes that seek the facts and it’s important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable. Alberta RCMP training, policy, police response, and the member’s duty status will be subject to review.