Police call dramatic video of takedown at Kitchener encampment ‘misleading and inaccurate’

Video of an arrest at a Kitchener, Ont. encampment sparked online outrage. CTV’s Karis Mapp has the reaction and response from Waterloo Regional Police.

Waterloo Regional Police are sharing their side of the story after an online video showed officers knocking a man to the ground during an arrest at a Kitchener encampment.

At least seven armed officers are seen in the video standing outside a tent at 100 Victoria Street. One of them steps onto the tent and reaches for a Black man crouching in the entrance. The man falls to the ground and the officers surround him. An officer then kicks his leg near the man’s head.

The 16 second video sparked outrage and debate on social media. Some users said they felt like the officers used excessive force during the arrest, while others wanted to know more about what led up to the arrest.

WRPS response

Cherri Greeno, the director of corporate affairs for Waterloo Regional Police, addressed the community’s concerns in a statement to CTV News.

“It is important to note that the posted video only shows a small portion of the incident and does not depict the entire interaction, or what led to officers arresting the individual,” she said. “This was a very dynamic situation that posed a significant safety risk to the public and to the officers who responded.”

According to police, multiple people reportedly saw a man with a handgun near Victoria Street North on Aug. 29. Officers found the man, described by the callers, at the encampment. Police said they asked the man to leave the tent and hand over the gun “approximately 13 times.”

“The male refused,” Waterloo Regional Police said in their original release. “He was then pushed out of the tent and fell to the ground. He resisted arrest and refused to show his hands. An officer kicked his arm to try to free the male’s hands to ensure no gun was present and to make an arrest.”

It was only after he was in custody that the police determined the gun was a replica.

No one was hurt during the arrest.

“The video posted online – and the commentary associated with it – is both misleading and inaccurate, which results in the creation of an irresponsible narrative that does not reflect the facts of the incident,” Greeno said. “Our officers responded promptly and appropriately to this incident to ensure the safety of those nearby. The involved officers were equipped with body-worn cameras and were aware that they were being video recorded by citizens.”

Greeno also said no formal complaint had been filed with Waterloo Regional Police or the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA).

The 33-year-old man was charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon and non-compliance with a probation order.

Sixteen seconds

Chris Lewis, a former OPP commissioner and a public safety analyst with CTV News, watched the video and agreed with the actions taken by Waterloo Regional Police.

“These are very dynamic, very emotional, tense moments,” he explained. “This video paints a picture for the public that really isn’t accurate because, at times, it doesn’t show everything before or everything after.”

He also addressed the part of the video that appeared to show an officer kicking the man as he lay on the ground – which sparked much of the online outrage.

Waterloo Regional Police said the officer was only trying to move the man’s arm and free his hands to ensure he was not holding a gun.

“There was some type of tap for sure,” Lewis acknowledged. “But we don’t know what the individual was doing, saying, how he was reacting because there’s so many legs in front of him.”

Local reaction

Marjorie Knight, a local advocate and board chair for Rhythm & Blues Cambridge, shared her concerns with the arrest.

“It was frightening, and it was horrific to me, to all of us,” she said. “They had at least five policemen with long guns pointed at this gentleman. He was already on the ground because he was in a tent. Does it seem reasonable that they should have been able to deal with him without that show of force?”

The incident reminded Knight of a 2020 report from Waterloo Regional Police that looked at the use of force by officers. It also included race-based data for the first time. Only three per cent of Waterloo Region’s population identified as Black at that time, but they made up 16 per cent of those who experienced “force” during their interactions with officers.

“This just brought it all back,” Knight said.

She acknowledged that she, and others, did not see what happened before the video started.

“Yes, it’s 16 seconds, and yes, there may be more context around it,” Knight said. “But, in that moment, are you telling me there wasn’t a better way of doing that? That was less violent? A more humane way of doing things?”

She hoped the video sparked a wider conversation about the treatment of Black and racialized communities.

“I think that there’s a conversation that needs to be had,” Knight said. “We want people to be confident in the police. We want people to feel that they are safe with the police, that if something happens, or is happening, that it’s being handled in a way that doesn’t leave them bleeding on the ground.”

CTV News Kitchener reached out to the owner of the video to verify the content but did not receive a response by our deadline.

- With reporting by Karis Mapp