FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Alberta's police watchdog says there's no evidence an offence was committed when Mounties used force to arrest a prominent First Nation chief outside a Fort McMurray, Alta., casino in 2020.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team also said in a report released Thursday that there's no evidence of racist treatment by officers against Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam.
It said a confrontation began when an officer working alone was patrolling the parking lot of the Boomtown Casino and found an unregistered truck.
ASIRT said the officer was approached by Adam, who was agitated, swore and said he was tired of being harassed by RCMP.
The report describes the chief throwing down his jacket, removing his ring and taking a fighting stance, making it "clear that (Adam) was preparing to be physical with the lone officer," ASIRT executive director Michael Ewenson wrote in the report.
Dashcam video at the time showed an officer tackling Adam to the ground, punching him in the head and putting him in a chokehold. Photos were released of the chief's bruised and bloodied face.
"(Adam) believed he was treated differently by the officers due to his race. He is Indigenous and a recognized leader in his community. Past personal interactions with law enforcement, as well as complaints from his community members that he was privy to, may have given him a different subjective impression of the incident," wrote Ewenson.
"He is obviously entitled to his personal beliefs. However, there is nothing in the available evidence that documents any overt language or conduct by the subject officers that would suggest racist treatment of (Adam).
"The traffic stop was clearly lawful and it is (Adam) who subsequently approaches (the first officer) with clenched fists and obstructs the traffic stop."
Adam was not immediately available to comment Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Dec. 19, 2024.
The Canadian Press
