Police cleared in Stormtrooper incident
By Tim Kalinowski on July 15, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com
The Lethbridge Police Service is closing the file on last year’s “Stormtrooper” incident after an independent investigation by the Medicine Hat Police Service provided no evidence of any professional misconduct by the officers in this case.
“It was an unfortunate incident that negatively impacted both the young lady and our officers,” said Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh at a press briefing held Tuesday afternoon. “We included recordings of the two 911 calls (in our media release) phoned in by citizens as we wanted the public to understand and reflect on what information was provided to our police officers. The type of call they responded to, and ultimately why they approached the scene in the manner they did.”
A young woman wearing a Stormtrooper costume and carrying a replica laser blaster was hired by a local cantina on the May 4 last year to promote the business by walking back and forth outside. Upon receiving weapons complaints from the public, the Lethbridge Police Service dispatched officers to the scene.
According to the LPS release on Wednesday, “two of the three officers drew their weapons, but they were not aimed at the person. A number of verbal commands were issued to drop the weapon, move away from it and lay face down on the pavement. While the person did drop the weapon, step back and eventually kneel down, they appeared non-responsive to subsequent demands and there was a belief the person might be searching for a path to escape.
“One of the officers approached the person from behind, grasped the upper back plate of the costume and forced them to the ground in a controlled movement. The other two officers moved in to assist with the arrest and the person was handcuffed and the mask removed.”
It was later revealed the woman was confused, could not hear what the officers were saying well because of the costume and was slow to get down because the costume confined her legs as she tried to comply. The young woman received a bloody nose when taken to the ground.
Mehdizadeh said when officers are dealing with a weapons call from the public the first priority of the responding officers is to protect themselves and others by assuming the worst.
Officers, he said, are trained to respond this way regardless of the extenuating circumstances involved. Just because the person in this case was wearing a Stormtrooper costume, he said, does not automatically mean they are no threat to the public.
“Before we went there, our officers had no idea what they were facing,” said Mehdizadeh. “The 911 calls came within a short time of each other. So we are looking at several people calling us that have concerns over this incident. And for anyone to think someone in a costume can’t hurt other people, they are mistaken. We have many incidents. You just have to Google that. To know how often people in costumes have done major harm to others and have killed people.”
Mehdizadeh said his officers responded the way they were trained to when facing an unknown person with unknown intentions who was carrying what appeared to be a firearm despite, he admitted, the fact that the “optics may not look good” to those viewing the incident on social media.
Mehdizadeh also confirmed he had not reached out to the young lady to offer any apologies about the incident.
“I haven’t had any conversations (with her),” he confirmed. “I have not made an apology, because really when I look at the incident our officers didn’t do anything wrong. They just responded to a call. But I also understand this was an unfortunate incident where she didn’t do anything wrong- – neither did our officers. It was an unfortunate incident.”
Mehdizadeh said he hoped if any local business decides to do something similar again in the future that they call and give the police service a heads up first, and do more to inform the public it was just a marketing promotion.
“These things could be avoided,” said Mehdizadeh. “I believe if there was even more signage, or at least some music, something to show people this was not a legitimate concern, that would have helped.”
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4-3
what a surprise – a police protecting the police.