Blood Tribe members protest over use of force during arrest of man wielding metal pipe
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has not been directed to investigate an officer's actions during an arrest on a southern Alberta First Nation that involved the use of a conducted energy weapon, and that decision isn’t sitting well with some area residents.
Mounties have also released still images gathered during the incident to provide additional context.
RCMP have released a Watchguard video still of a man armed with a metal pipe, said to be suspect Dylan Bird, threatening an RCMP member during a Nov. 23 arrest on the Kainai Nation. (supplied: RCMP)
Members of the Blood Tribe gathered in protest outside the RCMP detachment in Cardston on Monday, seeking answers about the arrest of 27-year-old Dylan Riley Bird.
“He's epileptic, he was born with a piece of his skull missing so he has a plate, I think he was scared, he was trying to protect himself. He didn't know what was going on and he was scared and he reacted,” said Bird’s uncle, Ronald Panther Bone.
Protest organizer Melissa Prairie Chicken said the event was to draw attention to police brutality.
"They shouldn’t be doing that. It’s bad," she said. "Just because they have the authority doesn’t mean they have the authority to beat on us."
Bird was walking down the street last week when an RCMP officer attempted to arrest him for outstanding warrants on charges of uttering threats, criminal harassment and mischief.
According to police, Bird was holding a metal pipe, which he used to hit an officer as he was being arrested, causing minor injuries.
That's when the officer used a conducted energy weapon on Bird, twice, and he was detained.
"Both the first and second deployments of the conducted energy weapon were unsuccessful in gaining control of the subject," said Cardston RCMP Sgt. Robert Wright in a video statement. "The officer called for assistance and a nearby officer immediately attended the location to assist in the suspect's arrest.”
Bird, a member of the Kainai Nation, faces new charges related to:
- Two counts of assaulting a peace officer causing bodily harm;
- Assaulting a peace officer;
- Obstruction; and.
- Failing to comply with a release order.
The RCMP notified the director of law enforcement, as required by law, but he deemed the incident out of scope and did not direct the province's police watchdog to investigate. Mounties are now conducting an internal review.
“The Alberta RCMP believe 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,” said Wright.
But that process isn't sitting well with Blood Tribe members.
“We’ve been going through this all our lives and it should stop. They're supposed to be protecting us, not brutalizing us,” said Panther Bone.
The group met at a local gas station before walking down Main Street to the RCMP detachment. Blood Tribe members who attended Monday’s protest say they’re concerned about stereotyping. Panther Bone says he’s experienced it first-hand.
“They see one native doing something bad they automatically drive by, we're all like that. That native steals, that's the way they think we are,” said Panther Bone.
Bird has been released from custody ahead of his scheduled Dec. 13 court appearance in Cardston.
With files from CTV Lethbridge's Karsen Marczuk
Correction
The original version of this story, and its headline, indicated the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) had either launched an investigation into, or declined to investigate, the arrest of Dylan Bird. RCMP did not consult ASIRT on this matter as it was deemed 'out of scope' for the watchdog agency.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.