Mike on Crime

By Gabrielle Giroday
Winnipeg Free Press

WINNIPEG — The RCMP have been called in to review a case in which a surveillance video shows Winnipeg police beating and Tasering a suspect who appeared to be in the process of surrendering to officers.

At the same time, Winnipeg Police Chief Keith McCaskill has announced he is removing himself from the review of the case as one of the officers involved, Cst. Ryan Law, is his nephew.

According to Cody Bousquet’s defence lawyer, his face was beaten when Winnipeg police arrested the young man for leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle last February.

The video, showing four officers restraining and arresting Bousquet, was released by the 19-year-old man’s lawyer as part of a plea bargain submitted Thursday to the court.

Charges against Bousquet for assault and stealing a motor vehicle were stayed after his lawyer showed a judge a copy of the tape, which was captured by surveillance cameras mounted on an auto-parts store on Notre Dame Avenue.

Crown prosecutor Mick Makar told the court Bousquet was hiding his hands from police, which was why officers used force.

The tape shows officers kneeing and elbowing Bousquet on the ground, then Tasering him twice.

Bousquet pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer and operating a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner.

He will do no more jail time, after a judge factored in 11 months time he has already served. He will also be under two years of supervised probation.