Alberta’s police watchdog has been tasked with investigating an incident in the Yukon after an RCMP officer in the territory’s capital dragged a woman out of an emergency shelter and left her on the sidewalk. According to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the officer was called to the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter around 1:45 a.m. on Aug. 11 about an intoxicated woman who was refusing to leave the men’s sleeping area. Staff said the shelter was at capacity and there were no beds available overnight for the woman. The officer arrived around 2 a.m. and tried to talk to the woman but was unsuccessful. According to ASIRT, the officer grabbed one of the woman’s legs and began dragging her out of the building. As she was dragged through the doorway, her shirt got caught on the doorstep and was pulled off, exposing her upper body. The officer draped her shirt over her torso, dragged her onto the sidewalk, and then left. About 40 minutes later, another RCMP patrol unit arrived and took the woman into custody. ASIRT is tasked with investigating incidents involving death, serious injury, and potential criminality involving police officers in Alberta and Yukon.
