Police say gun concerns prompted arrest at Kitchener encampment

Video of an arrest at the Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener has prompted outrage in the community, but police say it doesn’t show the full story.

The 16-second clip was filmed by someone in a vehicle who spotted an armed police takedown of a Black man in a tent, where one officer kicks the man during the arrest.

The footage was uploaded on Facebook and prompted condemnation from local advocates, including the group Rhythm and Blues Cambridge, which said in a statement the actions by police were unnecessary, violent and dehumanizing.

“Our community is tired,” it reads. “We are tired of seeing the same harmful patterns, tired of hearing words that don’t match actions, and tired of living with the fear and mistrust that these moments create.”

Waterloo regional police have now responded and say there were significant concerns for both public safety and the safety of responding officers.

The force said officers were called on Aug. 29 by multiple concerned citizens who said they saw a man with a handgun in the Weber and Victoria streets area.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a suspect who allegedly entered a tent in the encampment and refused to exit or surrender his firearm.

According to police, the man was asked a dozen times to comply, and when he didn’t, officers forcibly removed him from the tent and one officer kicked at his arm to see if he was holding a gun.

After the arrest, police found a weapon in the man’s pocket, which was later determined to be a replica firearm. The 33-year-old man was not injured and has been charged with weapons offences.

Police said the short video that was shared online only showed a small portion of the incident and that officers responded appropriately.

“This was a very dynamic situation that posed a significant safety risk to the public and to the officers who responded,” reads a statement from the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS). “The video posted online – and the commentary associated with it – is both misleading and inaccurate, which results in the creation of an irresponsible narrative that does not reflect the facts of the incident.”

Police said all the involved officers were equipped with body-worn cameras, and to date, no formal complaints have been lodged against WRPS relating to the incident.