Items
Tag
traffic stop
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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". -
Police shoot, kill man during a traffic stop after impaired driving complaints
At 1 PM on March 9, 2017, Edmonton Police received two 911 calls about an erratic driver. One of the callers followed the offending vehicle they had called about-a blue van- off the Whitemud into a cul-de-sac at Hollands Landing where it came to a halt. By 1:30 Constable Ian Wood-a veteran of six years - was dispatched to the neighbourhood and upon arrival pulled his car in front of a blue Pontiac van and demanded the driver stay in his vehicle. The driver- fifty-five-year-old Vitaly Savin- instead exited the van and according to Wood was swaying back and forth and insisted that he was not drunk after Wood stated that he was (a later test found that his blood-alcohol content was three and a half times the legal limit). Wood then grabbed Savins left arm intending to arrest him for impaired driving, but withdrew, stood back, and radioed for other officers to respond when he saw Savin rummaging for something in the van with his right. Wood then ordered Savin to show his hands but instead Savin drew a hunting knife from his car and charged Wood who turned, ran several meters down the icy road, slipped and fell on his back. According to Wood, he shouted at the man to drop his knife, but Savin attempted to stab him. Wood was able to kick Savin away far enough for the constable to draw and shoot his pistol four times, killing the man. Aman Jaggi, the only known witness heard muttering, then shouting and then four shots being fired seconds afterward. He went outside to talk to Wood who told him that he had pulled Savin over, that he came at him with a hunting life, slipped and had to shoot him. Jaggi then filmed other officers who had then arrived who were attempting to resuscitate Savin. A subsequent ASIRT investigation determined Cst. Wood's actions were justified. Savin was a dual citizen of Russia and Canada, and the Russian consulate requested ASIRT investigate whether "Russian racism" was a factor in the shooting. The ASIRT investigation concluded that Savin's background was not a factor in the incident. -
Multiple Edmonton Police shoot, kill man after traffic stop for outstanding warrants
On the twenty-sixth of December 2018 at 2:00 PM Buck Evans, his girlfriend Melissa Dumais and a friend were stopped in their truck by multiple police officers in at least four vehicles. Thirty-four year old Evans was wanted in connection with an ongoing investigation and had several warrants against him for other alleged crimes. Evans had been barred from owning a firearm since 2018 but was believed to be armed by the police and indeed was traveling with a SKS semi-automatic rifle at the time. After being stopped, the trio were ordered to exit the vehicle with Dumais and the other passenger complying but Evans in the back refusing. According to ASIRT after Evans refused to comply, he fired his weapon but according to Dumais Evans was not holding his rifle when she left with it being on the trucks floor instead. Video filmed by a witness in a nearby apartment does not confirm if he did use his rifle. While blurry and taken from a distance, it shows about four police officers facing the truck demanding Evans exit it. One officer fires a shotgun and eight seconds later, after further demands for Evans to exit unleash a volley of gunfire. There is then a pause with further shots being fired with a total of about thirty being fired. Several bullets hit the neighbouring apartment buildings with at least one passing through into a bedroom. It is unclear whether Evans fired his weapon during this time and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Evans' girlfriend believed the police response constituted use of excessive force. An ASIRT investigation is ongoing.