Regina man alleges RCMP used excessive force in arrest
Regina man alleges RCMP used excessive force in arrest
REGINA -
Warning: This story contains graphic language and details some readers may find disturbing.
A Regina man is accusing RCMP in Punnichy of using excessive force during an arrest last week.
Braxtin Asapace, 20, has numerous bruises and cuts on his face and body after the encounter.
"I was scared, I was really scared for my life, I didn’t want to get it taken away," he told CTV News. "It just made me feel helpless, hopeless, very traumatizing."
According to Asapace, he was drinking with his mom and stepdad at their home on Kawacatoose First Nation on Wednesday night. As they became more intoxicated, Twilla Asapace said she called the police on her son to avoid the situation escalating.
RCMP said they were told two individuals in the home were assaulted by Braxtin.
"He suffers from bipolar depression, so I didn’t want things to escalate between us, so I called the RCMP to come and get him, just to put him in the drunk tank for the night," she said.
Braxtin says he was in a bedroom when RCMP arrived at the home. He claims they put him in handcuffs and alleges that’s when things started to get rough.
"All of a sudden, he started using his right arm to elbow me like this in the head and he said, 'Shut the f--k up', and really I was in disbelief, I couldn’t believe that was happening to me," Asapace said.
As he was being taken outside, Braxtin claims he was pushed down the front stairs of the house and landed on his face.
"I was trying to get up when I was handcuffed, I was using my legs and when I was looking back, all I seen was this black boot come and kick me right in my face," he said.
As he was being put in the back of the police cruiser, Asapace said he asked the officer if he was proud of what he’s doing.
"He said, 'F--k ya, damn rights,'" Asapace alleges. "I was like, 'Oh, I hope you got that camera recording.'"
Asapace said he was taken to the RCMP detachment where he spent the night in a holding cell and was released the next morning without charges.
The family filed a complaint with RCMP the next day and the Saskatchewan RCMP Criminal Operations has initiated an investigation into the incident.
In a statement to CTV News, the RCMP said, "We take complaints of this nature seriously, which is why the RCMP has also requested an independent observer from the Ministry of Corrections and Policing."
Asapace says he needed stitches on his lip and has received a CT scan to check for bleeding in his brain. He said the incident will stick with him long after the injuries heal.
"It changed my whole mindset about everything, it’s really bringing me down," he said. "The justice system, I don’t know why they treat us people like this, especially when we’re good people and I would cause no harm to no one.
"It really made me scared to call the cops, it really did… very traumatizing."
Twilla Asapace said she moved to the community in April and had no issues with RCMP until this night.
The Asapaces have reached out to a lawyer and are working on filing a complaint against the officers, who they allege wouldn’t provide their names or badge numbers.
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