A one-minute video has surfaced on YouTube of two Waterloo Regional Police officers arresting a man downtown Elmira on October 28 and has already had more than 2,000 views.
The video shows the officers arresting a 23-year-old man who seems to be lying in the street as the officers try to place handcuffs on him. One officer is seen holding the man as a second police officer knees the man twice, roughing him up. After the man is subdued there is no further use of force by the officers.
Early Sunday morning, a police officer was patrolling on Arthur Street when he noticed three men, two 23-year-olds and one 24-year-old, leaving the Central Tavern in Elmira. One man had a foot scooter and was weaving in and out of traffic on Arthur Street. The police officer told them to get off the road for their own safety. The men began to swear at the officer and the one with the scooter proceeded to ride it out onto the street again when the officer arrested him as he was a danger to himself. The other two men began to verbally intervene with the arrest and the officer proceeded to arrest them as well.
According to police spokesman Olaf Heinzel, one of the suspects who appears in the video was actively resisting the officers who were trying to affect an arrest.
“It appears to us (the WRPS) that the subject refused to put his hands behind his back as the officer tries to place handcuffs on him and in doing so the officers used additional force to try and bring compliance to the subject and once that appliance was gained it appears to us (the WRPS) that the officers actions ceased at that point and they continue to handcuff the individual,” said Heinzel.
“From what we were able to ascertain from the video it appears that the officers are using actions that are consistent with the use of force model, which the officers are trained for under the province of Ontario. We have looked at the video … and this incident just occurred on the weekend so we might want to continue to review it but our first initial look at that it would indicate that the officers were acting consistently with the use of force model.”
Police chief Matt Torigian, at Woolwich council Tuesday night for a presentation about rural policing, was questioned about the incident. He stressed that the video clip did not put the incident in context, confirming that a review determined the officers had acted with appropriate force.
“Once in a while we encounter disagreeable people. At times we have to use force to arrest somebody,” he said, noting “nothing improper occurred.”
The video, which is dark and grainy, was shot by someone passing by the incident at the time.
