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Asian man alleges officers were discriminatory in arresting him after calling for help Yun Feng Chu had delivered a letter of eviction to a tenant at a property owned by his son, and made arrangements with the tenant to vacate on September 12th, 2001. On the day of September 12th, the tenant asked Chu for one more day to vacate the premises, to which he agreed. He arrived at the suite the next day to find its door open and was met by a young man instead of the tenant. The man told Chu to leave a few times and attempted to escort him off the property, ultimately shoving him and causing Chu to fall. Chu called for help and was first assisted by paramedics before police arrived. Chu does not speak fluent English and when he attempted to explain to officers that he was hit, they allegedly replied, "nobody hit you". When he responded that this was "not fair", they forcefully handcuffed him. He asked them to remove the cuffs five times to which they did not respond; when he asked for their names, only one of two officers (Brown) disclosed their names. -
Man in mental health crisis tasered and arrested by police On February 7th, 2017, after an argument with his father, an individual stated he would take his own life and left the residence with a hunting knife. Officers J. Blezy and D. McFarland were dispatched to his location and found the individual searching his vehicle, but upon being approach stated he had no knife. He was tased and arrested before being taken to a hospital. Months later on August 5th, 2017, the individual was arrested again by officers Strickland, Wagner, and Li, and allegedly assaulted by Wagner. During a verbal altercation at the police station with Strickland, he was allegedly told that he should kill himself as it'd save the police from further paperwork. -
Unhoused Indigenous individuals rounded up by EPS and transported to other side of city in "sweatbox" incident On or around May 20th, 2005, a group of 9 unhoused Indigenous peoples--6 men and 3 women--were picked up by EPS officers Hannas, Blackburn and Sauter on Whyte Avenue and locked in a police van. No one was told why they were being detained. The van lacked seatbelts and there was not enough room for all individuals to sit on the bench, forcing some to sit on the floor. The van was also hot and crowded, but officers refused to roll down windows or turn on air conditioning. They also denied bathroom requests from the individuals, resulting in one woman urinating on the floor of the vehicle. After being driven around for about 90 minutes with frequent sudden stops and forceful turns that made them fall into each other, they were later let out of the van in the area of 127 Avenue and 82 Street on the other side of the city. -
Two men assaulted while handcuffed during arrest; officer charged and convicted In the early morning of December 15, 2008, Lauchlin Torry and Jean-Marc Viau were pulled over by Constable Haoyin Zheng during a vehicle stop near 145 Street and 104 Avenue. Torry and Viau were ordered out of the truck, which was later found to have been stolen. Police searched the men and found a piece of a coat hanger in Torrys back pocket. While being handcuffed and put into the back of the police car, Torry and Viau report that they were beaten by Zheng. Torry testified in court that Zheng yelled at him, called him a druggie , and punched him on the cheek. During the trial, Constable Brad Stiksma testified that he heard Torry yell for help and noticed a fresh red scrape on his chin. Earlier in the trial, Viau testified that he was sitting handcuffed in the back of the police cruiser when Zheng leaned in, struck him with a flashlight three times, and repeatedly punched him in the head. After reporting pain in his ribs, Viau was taken to the hospital following the arrest. Viau was treated for bruising and was later released from the hospital. Zheng was charged with two counts of assault and one count of assault with a weapon in the alleged beating of Lauchlin Torry and Jean-Marc Viau. The judge ruled that Zheng used excessive force against Viau and he was found guilty of assault, receiving a conditional discharge, 12 months probation, and restriction to administrative duties. Zheng would later be convicted of another assault charge in an on-duty incident from 2010 and would resign from the Edmonton Police Service. -
Victim hit repeatedly by officer in on-duty assault; officer resigns after conviction Officer Haoyin Zheng was charged with and convicted of assault after a 2010 incident in which he repeatedly physically assaulted an intoxicated man in a condo hallway. Sean Andrew Spicer had returned to his condo building drunk and had broken a glass door, trying to enter the residence after losing his keys. Officers were called to the scene, and while arresting him, Spicer reported that Zheng delivered several head stuns, knocked him to the ground, and hit him with additional stuns to the body while he was down. This use of force resulted in injuries to his shoulders, ribs, back and head. Spicers mother, Bonnie, says that her son no longer trusts the police. We dont want people like this as police officers Zheng was found guilty of assaulting Spicer in a provincial court and resigned shortly after his conviction. Zheng has previously been convicted of assault in violent on-duty interactions, which Crown prosecutor Matt Dalidowicz argues is a pattern of behaviour . Zheng was found guilty of two counts of assault in November 2011. Earlier that year, Zheng was found guilty of an unrelated assault that occurred while he was making an arrest. He received a conditional discharge, 12 months probation, and was restricted to administrative duties in that conviction, stemming from a December 2008 case. -
Man receives permanent facial injuries requiring surgery in assault by EPS officers Anthony Maskell was beaten and left with permanent facial injuries by Constables Nadine Comeau and Darin Goldenberg during a traffic stop in March of 2010. This is a case of egregious police conduct an unwarranted, grave assault causing serious permanent injuries, Provincial court Judge Donna Groves said in a 2011 written ruling. This is one of those clearest of cases that requires the court to communicate unequivocally that such conduct will not be tolerated . The officers pulled over Maskell because a check on his license plate revealed he was suspended from driving. Officers removed Maskell from the car and threw him to the ground, placing him in the prone position. Maskell said that he was aggressively handcuffed and that the handcuffs were too tight. Officer Weins, who arrived on the scene with his partner after Maskell was handcuffed, testified that Maskell was pushed against the side of the car to hold him up. Weins stated that Maskell was having difficulty holding himself up and his legs were unsteady. Maskell states that he was thrown like a rag doll and that his face was pushed against the car by officers Comeau and Goldenberg. He reported having difficulty remaining conscious and having difficulty remembering much of what happened during the encounter with police. The officers said that Maskell exhibited signs of impairment; however, Maskell explained that the slurred speech and any possible stumbling or disorientation on his part were symptoms of a head injury. Judge Grove noticed several inconsistencies between the testimony of Goldenberg and Comeau in their recounting of the events. The judge deemed Maskells testimony of events credible. Maskells family took him to the Royal Alexandra Hospital where he underwent a CT scan and it was determined that Maskell had suffered severe facial trauma. Maskell was diagnosed with multiple facial bone fractures predominantly on the right side of his face. Maskells orbital bone was broken, as well as his nose. He had a deviated septum, and the tissues in his cheek were separated from the bone. Surgery was required to repair the damage to the right zygoma, right maxilla, right orbital floor, and a resuspension of the right cheek tissue. During surgery, two titanium plates were permanently inserted in the orbital/cheek area. -
Victim experiencing panic attack and suicidal thoughts encouraged by officer to "go ahead" and kill himself Tyler Lychak was experiencing a panic attack and thoughts of suicide when he was assaulted by Edmonton Police Officer Binoy Prabhu on November 3, 2017. The incident began when Lychek went to the west Edmonton Police Station to report concerns about someone who may have been selling drugs to minors outside of a nearby store. Upon exiting the police station, Lychaks foot hit one of the sliding doors and dislodged it, causing a loud noise (which officer Derek Cranna testified to in a disciplinary hearing). Officer Prabhu and another officer followed Lychak to the parking lot where there was an argument. Lychak was arrested for mischief, placed in handcuffs, and escorted back into the police station. Lychak was brought into a holding cell and was searched by the officers. Officer Prabhu found a pressurized spray can of Sabre Dog and Coyote Attack Deterrent in Lychaks pocket and Lychak was informed that he was under arrest for possession of a weapon. Lychak stated that he was frightened of Officer Prabhu and he began hyperventilating. While escorting Lychak to the phone room, Prabhu grabbed Lychak and pulled him with enough force that Lychak fell to the ground. Lychak told investigating officers that he hit his head on the wall and suffered bruising to his hip and back along with soreness to his neck and shoulder. Prabhus use of force was captured on police station closed-circuit cameras. Lychak used the phone to call 911, stating that he was having a panic attack and the police were not helping him. After Lychak made the phone call, Prabhu returned him to the holding cell. Lychak told the officer he was going to try to kill himself and that he had attempted suicide in the past. Prabhu responded with go ahead . In the disciplinary hearing that followed this incident, Prabhu admitted to the above statement and the use of excessive force. "I basically relive it every day," Lychak told CBC News. "It goes through my head every day and it's really hard to block it out&I want to do this so that in the future, people with mental disabilities or mental problems can get treated better by the police. I believe that training is necessary to save lives." In 2015, Prabu was charged with assaulting his wife. The charge was withdrawn in 2016 when Prabhu admitted that he had caused his wife to fear personal injury. Prabhu entered a one-year peace bond as a result. Prabhu received a criminal charge led to two separate findings of discreditable conduct. The first finding occurred two weeks after Prabhu's encounter with Lychak. He was given a 30-hour suspension without pay and ordered to seek counseling. Prabhu went on a six-month medical leave in December 2017 and sought psychological help. He also admitted to a neglect of duty misconduct charge that dated back to October 2017. -
Victim assaulted, arrested, and searched after jaywalking; EPS officers investigated and sued in civil court Deron Kuski, a lawyer from Regina, was arrested on August 4, 2002, by Edmonton Police Service officers Jason Forbes and Carlos Cardoso after jaywalking. Kuski and two companions crossed a street with no visible traffic. After reaching the other side of the street, officers Forbes and Cardoso approached Kuski and his companions. Forbes asked Kuski for identification, which Kuski did not provide. Forbes asked Kuski if he could search him, to which Kuski replied no, what for . Without warning, Forbes placed Kuski in handcuffs and kneed him on the top of the knee, causing Kuskis leg to buckle. Forbes proceeded to search Kuski and remove his identification and personal belongings from Kuskis pockets. Kuski did not resist while being handcuffed but was shocked with the amount of aggression that the officers used against him. Whenever I would hear about a complaint like this against a police officer or someone in authority, you hold some kind of skepticism toward it Kuski said in a CBC article (linked below). You think the guy must have done something, he must have lipped them off or got physical with them or something. And the fact this incident was not like that, yet they maintain they were within their rights of doing what they did, is so disturbing to me . Forbes told Kuski that he would be taken to the police station. Kuski was read his rights, but he asserts that he was not told what he was being arrested for. Kuski was placed in a police cruiser and detained in a cell at the Old Strathcona Police station for approximately one hour before being released around 2:30 am. Kuski was locked out of the police station while only wearing a golf shirt and pants in 0 -
Assault within family by police officer An individual was allegedly assaulted by the officer in a family-related incident in July 2007. -
Two sleeping men tasered by police after forced entry into hotel room At approximately 02:00 hours on November 27, 2003, three men were sleeping in a room at the Cromdale hotel. Without the occupants' consent their room was entered by four police officers who were searching for an armed suspect in a robbery. Two of the men who were sleeping were subjected to a taser on stun mode. The police stated it was used to wake them up. The three men were detained and eventually released without charges. The police officer did not have sufficient ground to detain or arrest any of the men. -
22-year-old on crutches assaulted by off duty police officer On December 18th, 2005 early in the morning, the victim was hailing a cab with his crutch. He had recently undergone knee surgery. Officer Wasylyshen and some colleagues were off-duty and drinking, and had just gotten out of a cab. Wasylyshen noticed the individual and started to verbally attack him (calling him a "cripple"). In return the victim yelled back. Wasylyshen approached the victim and struck him with a closed fist in the left ear. Wasylyshen's friends held him back after this. The victim then called two friends, who arrived shortly after. The group of three crossed the street. Wasylyshen followed them, there was a violent exchange between Wasylyshen and the victim's two friends, in which the friends pinned the police officer to the ground. At this point two loss prevention officers from a 7-11 decided to get involved. While they were separating the group, Wasylyshen uttered threats to the officers and struck one of them. -
Victim assaulted while detained and then released in river valley The victim, at the time unhoused and dealing with substance use issues, was asked to leave a 7-11 store. Police intervened while he was sleeping in the store, made physical contact to wake him up and asked him to leave. He returned to the store and was asked to leave again as he would be charged with public intoxication and trespass. The victim and the police travelled about three blocks before the incident continued. The victim was threatened with arrest for not identifying himself. While being handcuffed, Cst. O'Mara took the victim to the ground, punching him twice in the head, once while already handcuffed. Witnesses decribed the force as being excessive, recalling that the victim's head hit the pavement hard, causing a cut and substantial bleeding, with blood left on the sidewalk. The police then loaded the victim in the car and drove him south of the river to a different neighbourhood before releasing him. The police disabled the computer system that controlled GPS tracking before driving the victim, and only filed a report of a "Street Check". -
Youth unlawfully searched during traffic stop, then strip searched at police station. A 15 year old youth was driving their mother's car in North-East Edmonton on the 28th of December, 2014. Police initiated a traffic stop that a judge ruled was arbitrary. Their claim after the fact was that they could smell raw marijuana from the car and that there appeared to be a man driving when it was licensed to a woman. The police initiated an arrest of the youth, failed to read them their rights, and asked questions inviting the youth to incriminate themself. After unlawfully collecting evidence from a duffel bag in the car, the police placed the youth under arrest for "drug trafficking" and at this point read them their rights. Police then transported the youth back to the police station where they were strip searched, with the youth being completely exposed briefly, which is against the guidelines. The ruling states that "there was a pattern of Charter breaches that displayed a relentless search for evidence, on a hunch, with a total deliberate or reckless disregard for the Charter rights of the Young Person".
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