Alberta police watchdog says excessive force not used in arrest of Indigenous chief

Alberta’s police watchdog has concluded its investigation into the forcible arrest of an Indigenous chief that left him bloody and bruised outside a Fort McMurray casino in March, 2020, finding that there was no wrongdoing on the RCMP’s part, and nothing to suggest there was a racist element to what occurred.“After a thorough, independent and objective investigation into the conduct of the Subject Officers, it is my opinion that they were lawfully placed and acting properly in the execution of their duties,” wrote Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) executive director Michael Ewenson in his report released Thursday.“There is no evidence to support any belief that they engaged in any unlawful or unreasonable conduct that would give rise to a criminal offence,” he said.