A Canadian nursing student alleges that she suffered physical and emotional injuries at the hands of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer after her boyfriend called the emergency services to request a health check.
KELOWNA, British Columbia: A nursing student alleges that she suffered physical and emotional injuries at the hands of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer after her boyfriend called the emergency services to request a health checkup.
Mona Wang alleges that Cpl. Lacey Browning’s conduct was “ extremely abusive and repetitive ” after the officer found Wang lying in a semi-conscious state on the floor of her apartment on January 20.
Surveillance video released as part of the lawsuit shows a female officer dragging a woman upside down down a carpeted hallway and stepping on her head while waiting in a lobby.
Wang, who studies at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia at Kelowna, says he suffered cuts, bruises and a swollen eye as a result of the alleged assault. It also says Browning did not attempt to assess whether it needed medical assistance.
“ The plaintiff has suffered emotional distress, humiliation, shame and embarrassment, psychological and emotional trauma, ” reads a claim statement filed March 26 with the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
In a defense statement filed with the court on June 15, Browning, the Canadian attorney general and British Columbia’s minister of public security and the attorney general deny that they committed wrongdoing. All three are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
His statement says the officer found Wang lying on the floor with a box cutter in hand and empty bottles of acetaminophen, melatonin, and wine nearby. He alleges that the student began to yell and wave his arms at Browning, who proceeded to beat Wang with his open palm to subdue and arrest her under the Mental Health Act. The defendants claim that Browning did not use more force than is reasonable and necessary.
RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Janelle Shoihet did not reveal the officer’s identity in the video, but said Mountie is on administrative duties. In an email, Shoihet says an internal investigation is underway, and the Mounties will ask an external police department to review the findings.
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