Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy, commanding officer of the Manitoba RCMP, has reported that she found a video that shows an RCMP officer kneeling on a man’s neck during an arrest. The whole incident happened at the Winnipeg airport.
In that video, police officers were called to the airport about an intoxicated man who has just assaulted someone. Although the officers tried to calm the man down, he eventually assaulted them. The RCMP release stated that the man punched one of the officers in the face ‘without apparent provocation.’
Although the police have managed to handcuff the assailant, he managed to kick another officer in the groin. He was then taken to the ground at which point the officer put a knee on the man’s neck.
Jane MacLatchy, commanding officer of the Manitoba RCMP, said that she find the whole incident disturbing.
She added:
“Hearing a man clearly informing police officers that he cannot breathe is all too present in our collective consciousness. This is a difficult situation for any police officer to deal with. However, a knee to the neck is not the response for which our officers are trained, and this incident needs to be further examined.”
The Manitoba RCMP is currently doing a Code of Conduct investigation and will decide whether the officer in question will remain on duty.
She concluded:
“Please trust me when I say we are looking into this. I will not let this go unexamined; I owe it to the individual involved, the public, and the RCMP officers under my command, to take the time to review this properly and determine the appropriate way forward.”
