The City of 91大黄鸭鈥檚 mayor said the surveillance footage of a student being dragged down a hallway by an RCMP officer is very hard to watch.
Mayor Colin Basran said he is as upset about the video as everyone else in the community.
鈥淐ertainly, that video is hard to watch. I went through a range of emotions when I watched it from disappointment to anger and sadness,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 think if that was someone who needed mental health help and that was the kind of help they received, it鈥檚 just very sad and upsetting to see that.鈥�
UBCO nursing student Mona Wang has filed a civil claim against 91大黄鸭 RCMP鈥檚 Cpl. Lacy Browning, after a rough wellness check on Wang.
Wang alleges Browning assaulted her, causing injuries to her face, upper thigh, breast, sternum and forearms. Part of the incident was caught on surveillance cameras in the apartment, showing the officer dragging a semi-conscious Wang face-first along the carpeted hallway.
In another surveillance video, the officer is seen stepping on the student鈥檚 head.
READ: UBCO student union president speaks out on civil suit filed after alleged rough arrest
91大黄鸭 RCMP and the UBCO students鈥� union have both released statements addressing the incident.
鈥淥nce we received the videos, the materials were reviewed immediately specifically as it relates to the police officer鈥檚 actions,鈥� 91大黄鸭 RCMP鈥檚 Insp. Laura Livingstone said in her statement.
鈥淎s a result of the review, we can confirm that an internal Code of Conduct and criminal investigation were initiated and they are ongoing.鈥�
Cpl. Browning has been placed on administrative duties as a result of the incident.
UBCO students鈥� union president Ali Poostizadeh said the video was shocking.
鈥淭he systemic problems we see in law enforcement around the world are present in Canadian communities,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e condemn the lack of oversight and use of force by RCMP officers in our community and across Canada.鈥�
READ: UBCO student sues 91大黄鸭 RCMP officer for alleged assault during wellness check
READ: 91大黄鸭 RCMP release statement after civil suit filed over alleged rough arrest
