Content warning: Police brutality and violence
A video has surfaced online of an Edmonton police officer violently pushing an unsuspecting woman to the ground.
The video was originally posted to the Bear Clan Beaver Hills House Facebook account. According to a witness who wishes to remain anonymous the incident took place at 4pm on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the intersection of 106 Avenue and 100 Street near Hope Mission.
According to the witness the woman who was pushed to the ground was having an argument with the other woman who can be seen in the video when a police car showed up, the officer got out of the vehicle and then pushed the unsuspecting woman to the ground with both hands.
"After seeing this video I cried for our brothers and sisters. This is what they face on the daily," said Judith Gale, leader of Bear Clan Beaver Hills House.
UPDATE: Gale reached out to the EPS to try and learn more about the incident. This was their reply.
UPDATE: EPS have put out a statement alleging that the woman in the video had a knife and that there will be no further investigation. The EPS did not release a picture of the knife in the media release.
"The officer was driving in the area, and was flagged down by a member of the community who reported that two females, one of whom was armed with a knife, were about to fight. The officer immediately responded to the fight and observed the woman brandishing a knife. The officer directed the woman to drop the knife, but she refused, expressing her affiliation to a criminal gang, and walked away in an area where bystanders were present.
The officer considered his use of force options, given the suspect was armed, and determined pushing her to the ground would require the least amount of force possible to allow him to safely arrest the suspect. That is what is seen in the video. The knife in question was seized by police. The suspect was not injured. The suspect was arrested for possession of a weapon dangerous to the public. The EPS has obtained CCTV from the area that captured the event and confirms the above report of the incident.
Upon review of the incident, there are currently no grounds for an investigation by the EPS Professional Standards Branch," says the EPS statement.
The witness to the incident that we spoke to did not see a knife.
"I did not see a knife. I don’t believe it. His body language would have been different. And the girl she was arguing with would have been more cautious or had a different stance," said the witness.
The witness also did not see any lights or sirens on the police car that pulled up. All she heard was an announcement over the police car's loudspeaker for the two women to stop fighting.
Judith Gale of Bear Clan Beaver Hills House in concert with other mutual aid street outreach groups are planning an anti-police brutality rally outside of the Edmonton Police Service's downtown headquarters starting at 1pm on Sunday.
UPDATE: Edmonton Police released footage at an Edmonton Police Commission meeting on Sept. 22 that corroborates their story and shows a knife. You can see that footage here.