Port Alberni RCMP release details of violent arrest caught on camera

The Port Alberni RCMP in B.C. have released their account of a violent arrest that was recorded and shared widely on social media. “One individual was arrested after fleeing and allegedly assaulting a police officer in Port Alberni,” they said in a statement Tuesday. “On August 17, 2025, Port Alberni RCMP was called to a business in the 3900 block of 8 Avenue in Port Alberni to remove an individual who was unwanted. The individual in question was sought by police in relation to a breach of a release order.” Police located a suspect, but “he fled from responding officers. A short foot pursuit ensued and suspect was caught in an alley…” RCMP allege “that the suspect then assaulted the police officer who had caught up to him and a physical struggle ended up on the ground with the suspects keeping his hands underneath his body.” A video of the arrest has now been labelled by Meta as having “sensitive content” and is covered so viewers have to click to see it. It shows a man lying face down with an officer holding the man’s arms behind his back and another officer standing at his head. The video shows the officer holding the man’s arms then punching the man several times in the head while bystanders on a nearby apartment balcony shout for the officer to stop. The statement notes that “during the process of the suspect’s arrest, police observed a sharp object in the suspect’s hands, and he was not complying with his arrest. Police had to use force to gain compliance and prevent further injuries.” The suspect, a 33-year-old man from Port Alberni, was subsequently arrested and transported to Port Alberni RCMP where he was held for court. The statement does not say whether the suspect needed medical treatment following the arrest. The incident comes just weeks after a police watchdog in B.C. released a review of a 2022 case where an Indigenous man took his own life after an hours long standoff. The IIO noted that the case raised questions about how police approached situations involving an Indigenous person in a mental-health crisis. The IIO referred the file on that case to the RCMP and the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission [CRCC] for their assessment on whether changes to policy or training are needed. Continue Reading