Stole the title from Globe and Mail.
I saw the video and believe me that there was nothing 4 professional mounties with flak jackets could do to restrain an out of shape man who clearly looked like he was mounting an attack….well it was mostly a verbal attack and using chairs and stools to create a fort around him. None the less it seemed really, really dangerous and the 4 professional police officers had to taser this rambling man twice with 50,000 volts.
Great work RCMP, great work. Now let’s all tune into Globe and Mail and see our police force in action.
The footage, shot by Victoria resident Paul Pritchard, was released to the news media yesterday and widely broadcast, providing a raw look at events that have prompted a furious debate in B.C. about the police use of tasers.
The release comes exactly a month after the incident that ended in the death of 40-year-old Mr. Dziekanski, who had come to Canada on his first-ever airplane flight to begin a new life here with his mother, who lives in Kamloops and had been eagerly awaiting his arrival.
He began acting erratically after more than 10 hours being processed — the footage picks up as he was positioning chairs and a table in a manner that caused the automatic doors to remain open. Security guards look on.
When four Mounties arrive, they briskly move up to Mr. Dziekanski. He calls out “policia, policia” as they approach. One bystander is recorded saying that he is speaking Russian.
He appears to turn and move away from officers, putting up his hands in frustration. He appears to pick up a stapler on a counter. He is then tasered with a 50,000-volt shock, and jittering he drops, screaming in pain.
Someone yells “hit him again.” He was tasered twice. Police pile on, seeking to restrain him. One officer places his knee on Mr. Dziekanski’s neck.
Mr. Dziekanski went into medical distress and died there. The footage shows officers attending to him. One man in a suit checks for a pulse. It is impossible to tell from the footage whether he is dead at that point, although he appears non-responsive.
An autopsy later found no sign of drugs or alcohol in Mr. Dziekanski’s system, but failed to come up with any specific cause of death.
Updated : Every Canadian needs to go here and check the links to their perspective MPs and let them know what you think. After all, MPs work for us.
Desi In Toronto 