First Nations leaders, advocates raise concern over force in Saskatchewan RCMP arrest

Leaders and advocates from First Nations communities in Saskatchewan are demanding accountability after a video surfaced showing Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers using significant force during the arrest of a 40-year-old woman on the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation. The footage, widely shared on social media, depicts officers forcing the woman, identified as Rose Angus, to the ground, handcuffing her, and one officer applying his knee near her neck.

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What we witnessed in that video is unacceptable. Our women deserve to be always treated with dignity and respect.

Earlier in the arrest, the video shows an officer punching Angus multiple times in the face and another deploying a taser on her back. As officers handcuff her, she is told to stand up, at which point blood is visible on her face. The RCMP stated that officers from the Loon Lake detachment were initially responding to a report of an impaired individual and had arrested two men wanted on warrants after approaching a home.

According to the RCMP's account, Angus became confrontational during the arrest of the two men, punching two officers before leaving the home's entrance. A second video shared online appears to show this part of the encounter, with officers yelling at Angus to get on the ground as she descends stairs. The RCMP reported that Angus was arrested outside the home and received treatment for minor injuries from emergency responders.

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Our community deserves answers. We deserve accountability. Most importantly, our people deserve better.

In response to the viral video, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council issued a joint statement calling for an independent investigation. Chief Melvin Mooswa of the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation stated, "What we witnessed in that video is unacceptable. Our women deserve to be always treated with dignity and respect." He added, "Our community deserves answers. We deserve accountability. Most importantly, our people deserve better."

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The punches to the face, the close fist strikes to the face were excessive, as well as the tasers, especially when you have two men dealing with a female.

Aaron Thomas, a former police officer with 17 years of service, expressed his dismay after viewing the video, calling the punches and taser use excessive, especially given that two male officers were dealing with a female suspect. He argued that once control is established and handcuffs are applied, there is no justification for escalating the situation with yelling or verbal abuse.

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Once you have control and handcuffs, there’s no reason to be escalating, yelling at people and swearing at the detainee or the arrestee.