Alberta RCMP respond to social media post depicting arrest in Lac La Biche

We, the Alberta RCMP are aware of a social media post depicting an officer of the Lac La Biche RCMP arresting a man in the early hours of Oct. 1, 2024. This video has garnered concerns from the public with regards to the officer's actions. This video depicts one moment in a much larger incident and the RCMP would like to provide background as well as a more fulsome video of this interaction.

On Oct. 1, 2024, at 2 a.m., Lac La Biche RCMP received a report from a family member of an intoxicated individual outside of a residence being verbally aggressive towards the occupants and refusing to leave. A lone Lac La Biche officer was the first to arrive and attempted to arrest the individual by placing him in handcuffs. The individual initially resisted arrest and then attacked the officer punching him in the head. The officer attempted two separate deployments of a conducted energy weapon (Taser) while the suspect continued to pursue the officer, however both deployments were unsuccessful. When the offender momentarily became compliant the officer quickly moved in to gain control and arrested the suspect.

Police immediately took the suspect to the hospital to be treated for injuries he received during the altercation. Once the suspect received treatment, he was taken to the detachment and later released on charges for resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.

The RCMP have initiated our internal review process to gather a full account of what took place during this incident, including police training, policy, and response.