Sol Invictus
10-16-2009, 03:05 AM
October 14th 2009
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LONDON, Ontario — Accusations of police brutality are being leveled at city police and the University of Western Ontarios campus police after a video surfaced on YouTube showing six officers beating a suspect during an arrest.
But city police and university officials say the disoriented and violent suspect was combative and resistant after campus police tried to arrest the 22-year-old who had barricaded himself in an upper floor office of the Social Sciences building.
City police were called to assist in the arrest around 5 p.m. and the student was eventually subdued and taken to hospital for observation before being charged with mischief, resisting arrest, assault, and escaping custody.
The video, shot by an unknown student, shows the suspect being kneed at least five times, struck with a telescopic baton at least six times and punched by one officer at least 27 times.
The one minute, 32-second video shows four officers trying to subdue the suspect, who appears to be resisting and not complying with an officers demand to stop resisting . . . give us your arms . . . stop resisting.
Thirty seconds into the video, two other officers arrive and join the others in trying to put the suspect in handcuffs.
The suspect does appear to be resisting at times and police keep asking him to give them his arms.
Students who viewed the video on YouTube expressed shock and disbelief, although others defended the police saying the suspect shouldnt have resisted arrest.
However, a senior university official said campus and city police did their jobs.
Our officers and London Police officers were dealing with a disoriented and violent young person who clearly required help, said Gitta Kulczycki, UWO vice-president, resources and operations, in a press release.
Our officers did what they needed to do to ensure that he and others around him were safe. As always, we will examine our actions and will work with London Police to ensure that use of force was appropriate.
In the release, the university says a student complained to campus police about being followed by another student acting in a strange manner.
A short time later, campus police received calls about a disoriented and threatening individual trying to enter offices. At one point, the university says, the student tried to force the occupant of an eighth-floor office to leave before barricading himself in an office on the seventh floor.
Two campus officers arrived on the scene and the suspect came out of the barricaded office and charged the officers in a violent manner, the release states. Other persons on the floor fled for their own safety and some locked themselves in their own offices. A third officer arrived and the three officers attempted to subdue the suspect, but he was able to break away from officers and fled.
The suspect was eventually stopped by a campus officer on the main floor and a confrontation took place as the suspect attempted to flee.
Thats when city police arrived.
The university release says the suspect then continued to fight violently and would not allow himself to be handcuffed and continued to fight after being handcuffed and led outside.
The resistance continued after the individual was transported to hospital.
Many students who commented on the video conceded they dont know what happened prior to the video footage being taken.
One person who commented on YouTube who claimed to witness the arrest said an officer appeared injured.
zQnU6-YXsSo
LONDON, Ontario — Accusations of police brutality are being leveled at city police and the University of Western Ontarios campus police after a video surfaced on YouTube showing six officers beating a suspect during an arrest.
But city police and university officials say the disoriented and violent suspect was combative and resistant after campus police tried to arrest the 22-year-old who had barricaded himself in an upper floor office of the Social Sciences building.
City police were called to assist in the arrest around 5 p.m. and the student was eventually subdued and taken to hospital for observation before being charged with mischief, resisting arrest, assault, and escaping custody.
The video, shot by an unknown student, shows the suspect being kneed at least five times, struck with a telescopic baton at least six times and punched by one officer at least 27 times.
The one minute, 32-second video shows four officers trying to subdue the suspect, who appears to be resisting and not complying with an officers demand to stop resisting . . . give us your arms . . . stop resisting.
Thirty seconds into the video, two other officers arrive and join the others in trying to put the suspect in handcuffs.
The suspect does appear to be resisting at times and police keep asking him to give them his arms.
Students who viewed the video on YouTube expressed shock and disbelief, although others defended the police saying the suspect shouldnt have resisted arrest.
However, a senior university official said campus and city police did their jobs.
Our officers and London Police officers were dealing with a disoriented and violent young person who clearly required help, said Gitta Kulczycki, UWO vice-president, resources and operations, in a press release.
Our officers did what they needed to do to ensure that he and others around him were safe. As always, we will examine our actions and will work with London Police to ensure that use of force was appropriate.
In the release, the university says a student complained to campus police about being followed by another student acting in a strange manner.
A short time later, campus police received calls about a disoriented and threatening individual trying to enter offices. At one point, the university says, the student tried to force the occupant of an eighth-floor office to leave before barricading himself in an office on the seventh floor.
Two campus officers arrived on the scene and the suspect came out of the barricaded office and charged the officers in a violent manner, the release states. Other persons on the floor fled for their own safety and some locked themselves in their own offices. A third officer arrived and the three officers attempted to subdue the suspect, but he was able to break away from officers and fled.
The suspect was eventually stopped by a campus officer on the main floor and a confrontation took place as the suspect attempted to flee.
Thats when city police arrived.
The university release says the suspect then continued to fight violently and would not allow himself to be handcuffed and continued to fight after being handcuffed and led outside.
The resistance continued after the individual was transported to hospital.
Many students who commented on the video conceded they dont know what happened prior to the video footage being taken.
One person who commented on YouTube who claimed to witness the arrest said an officer appeared injured.