
RT News.com———– By staff ————-Fri., Aug.13, 2021
A Canadian police watchdog is probing allegations of excessive force during an incident in which a police officer knelt on the neck of a man being arrested despite him being pinned down and repeatedly crying out “I can’t breathe.”
In a statement, the Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) of Manitoba confirmed it is investigating the excessive force allegation in the August 2019 incident – which has drawn comparisons to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020.
It reportedly occurred outside James Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg after Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) responded to a call about an intoxicated man who allegedly assaulted a person at the airport and then struck an officer in the face without being provoked.
The man, identified as Nathan Lasuik, is facing several counts of assault in the ongoing trial. Bystander video of the incident was released to the press after it was played in court this week to argue that the RCMP officer used excessive force.
During the nearly five-minute clip, the unidentified RCMP officer is seen holding his knee down on Lasuik’s neck and pressing his face against the ground.
The officer does not appear to adjust either his position, or the applied pressure, despite Lasuik’s pleas to be let up.
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