|
Post by Sher on Jun 11, 2005 0:28:13 GMT -5
An emotional Edmonton woman yesterday pointed out the man she says broke into her southside home and sexually assaulted her and her seven-year-old son at knifepoint.
After two hours of telling a jury in a halting voice the horrific details of the August 2002 attack, which she said "changed our lives," the 44-year-old single mother was asked if she could identify the attacker in the courtroom.
"There he is," said the woman, after standing up in the witness box and slowly turning to directly face Russell Dean Ominayak as he sat calmly in the prisoners' docket.
Under a court-ordered publication ban, neither the woman nor her now-10-year-old son can be identified.
Ominayak, 26, has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges, including break and enter to commit a sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, possession of a dangerous weapon, sexual interference, being disguised, robbery, unlawful confinement and uttering death threats.
The victim told the five-man, seven-woman jury she woke up in the bedroom of her Duggan townhouse about 6:10 a.m. on Aug. 22, 2003, to see a male intruder in her room.
She testified she told him to get out and said she was calling the police, but the man ran towards her, covered her mouth, pushed her onto the bed and told her to be quiet.
The woman told jurors she tried to fight him off, despite seeing a knife in his hand, by pushing him with her knee and trying to kick him, but the man hit her in the face.
The intruder began molesting her breasts, but the noise woke up her son and the boy came into the bedroom and used her slippers to hit the man attacking his mother.
"I told my son to go back to his room and please stay there and pray, pray," she said, adding she was praying out loud herself, but the man called him back into the room.
The single mom testified the intruder then ripped off her pyjamas and roughly touched her private parts while forcing the boy to watch. He then tried to force her to perform a sex act on her son while continuing to molest her.
"At that period of time I recall my son asking me three times 'Is the man going to kill you?' and I was very strong and I said 'No, he is not going to kill me,' " she said.
The woman told the jury her attacker was very rough and aggressive and he was hurting her.
The intruder forced them both to have a bath, she said, adding she knew he wanted the evidence washed away, and then made the boy sexually touch his mother.
The woman said the man ordered them to get dressed and then had her drive to a nearby bank machine and make her son go to withdraw money from her account.
While the boy was in the bank, the woman threw the keys at the man and ran out of the van before getting a passerby to call police while the attacker fled in the vehicle.
She told jurors she could no longer live in her home and has been constantly fearful of being attacked again.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 14, 2005 9:04:29 GMT -5
A deadly knife attack yesterday morning has claimed the life of a man married just weeks ago.
Homicide detectives said yesterday they plan to lay charges of second-degree murder and possession of a weapon in the city's 17th homicide of the year after newlywed Kevin Edward Kozicki, 28, of Edmonton, was stabbed to death in a Whyte Avenue alley.
Area resident Sean Simpson, who just moved here from Leduc, woke to people yelling and screaming in an alley near 105 Street and 82 Avenue about 3:20 a.m. yesterday.
"There was a fight, like four guys fighting," said Simpson, who heard the commotion from his apartment. "Then I heard a guy say, 'Pull it, pull it!'
"I had no idea the guy died. From what I saw I thought the guy just got cut in the arm. (His buddy) was applying pressure to his arm."
"I was scared actually there for awhile," said Simpson, 23.
Police swarmed the area right away, he added.
Emergency medical services took the victim, suffering from multiple stab wounds, to University hospital, where he died.
Kevin Kozicki, who his brother described as "a fun-loving guy," just married his sweetheart three weeks ago and took a weeklong honeymoon in Las Vegas.
Kozicki grew up in Sherwood Park and worked as a welder, said his brother David.
Last night, Kozicki's family was gathered at his parents' home trying to comfort each other.
Kozicki's widow was with her family.
"She's devastated, as any new bride would be," David Kozicki said.
"The whole family is in absolute shock because it's not something you expect to happen," he said.
"These situations seem to be popping up more and more in our city but you never think it's your family."
Homicide Staff Sgt. Brian Lobay said at this point investigators figure a "street-type" dispute occurred that ended with the stabbing.
"Instead of fists, someone pulled out a knife," said Lobay.
Insp. Dan Jones said two southside police officers were able to glean information from witnesses and quickly find two suspects nearby.
"The information they acquired when they were at the scene led them to these two bodies who were in close proximity and they brought them downtown," said Jones.
"They did a wonderful job because those scenes are very chaotic. You get down there and you've got people yelling and screaming and crying and you've got anger and you've got all sorts of emotions ... and everybody has a different story.
"To actually hang on to someone that fast is a real feather in the cap for these guys," said Jones.
Police have not identified their suspect, but said a 20-year-old man faces charges.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 15, 2005 15:26:21 GMT -5
Police are investigating the suspicious death of a 50-year-old woman found in her home last night after the phone went dead during a 911 call.
A woman called 911 last night from 4415 33 St. at 8:17 p.m. asking for help, before the phone went dead, said Acting Insp. Allan Pitts.
When police arrived, they found the woman dead with trauma to her body.
Pitts, who could not confirm if the woman was murdered or how she died, said they are treating the woman's death as suspicious.
A male acquaintance of the woman's who was probably in the house at the time is a person of interest to police, Pitts said.
Homicide detectives are investigating.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 15, 2005 15:27:20 GMT -5
Two men nabbed in connection with four northside sex attacks on teenage girls are now accused of only two of them after some charges were dismissed yesterday.
In a videotaped police interview played in court, a 17-year-old mentally challenged girl described how two men raped her near the Clareview LRT station on Oct. 1, 2003.
But in cross-examination, the now-18-year-old woman testified she is not sure if she actually told the men she did not want to have sex or was just thinking it. "I don't really remember saying no," said the woman, who cannot be identified under a publication ban.
After the cross-examination, Crown prosecutor Charlie Cobban told the judge there was not a reasonable likelihood of conviction and asked her to dismiss the charges of sexual assault against both men.
The teen had told police she was at the Clareview terminal when two men came up to her and managed to get her to go to a nearby park where they took turns raping her.
Mohammed Ali Hersi, 26, and Ahmed Abdullahi Farah, 31, both remain charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and unlawful confinement in relation to an alleged attack on a 15-year-old girl on Oct. 5, 2003.
Police have said the teen was lured into bushes near 139 Avenue and 38 Street about 2 a.m. under the pretext of getting a cigarette from two men, who raped the girl over the course of an hour.
Hersi is also charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and unlawful confinement in connection with a Nov. 28, 2003, attack on a 17-year-old girl.
Police earlier said the teen was waiting for a bus after getting off the LRT at the Clareview station, at 46 Street and 140 Avenue, about 11:30 p.m. Two men asked her to party before luring her to a laundry room in a nearby apartment building where she was hit in the face and raped.
Farah had also been charged with raping a 19-year-old woman on Nov. 16, 2003, but those charges were stayed when the victim failed to show up at court.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 16, 2005 12:34:38 GMT -5
Police are investigating the suspicious death of a 50-year-old woman found in her home last night after the phone went dead during a 911 call. A woman called 911 last night from 4415 33 St. at 8:17 p.m. asking for help, before the phone went dead, said Acting Insp. Allan Pitts. When police arrived, they found the woman dead with trauma to her body. Pitts, who could not confirm if the woman was murdered or how she died, said they are treating the woman's death as suspicious. A male acquaintance of the woman's who was probably in the house at the time is a person of interest to police, Pitts said. Homicide detectives are investigating. The death of a woman in a southeast Edmonton home, allegedly at the hands of her estranged boyfriend, is the city's 18th homicide of the year. "Oh boy, I can't believe she's dead," said a neighbour of Betty May Kozak. "I was clutching my prayer beads all night and praying. "I knew it was something serious because of all the police cars here," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified. Police dispatchers received a "frantic" call from a cellphone Tuesday night around 8:20 p.m. Dispatchers were able to connect with Telus and determined the location of the call, a house at 4415 33 St., said spokesman Karen Carlson. When police arrived they found the body of the 50-year-old woman inside. A medical examiner determined Kozak died from a single gunshot wound. Neighbour Miguel Hormazabal, 33, said one of Kozak's sons hurriedly pulled into the crescent Tuesday night after the shooting, nearly hitting Hormazabal's company car. "He was distraught," Hormazabal said. "He just collapsed. "I just feel bad for the boys," he said, referring to the young man and his older brother, who works in Fort McMurray. Several hours later the police tactical team arrested a suspect near Capilano Mall. Neighbours said Kozak was a former teacher who suffered from multiple sclerosis. She sold tomato plants in front of her home. But they also said police were often called to the beige, two-storey stucco home, presumably for domestic disputes. Police yesterday confirmed Kozak had reported receiving death threats. The threat was made on June 9 and she reported it June 11, said Carlson. Clarence Melvin Caron, 63, is charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm used in the commission of an offence and uttering death threats. That charge came from the earlier incident. Jan Reimer, provincial co-ordinator of the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters, said she couldn't comment directly on the case but called it a tragedy. She said signs of domestic violence have been well-documented. "When we see escalating violence, continuing calls to the police, the possession of firearms, the uttering of death threats, these all put women at significant, elevated risks," said Reimer. "These are classical warning signs. "We all ask family and friends to recognize a pattern of abuse and the risk factors. They start with a prior history of domestic violence, access to weapons, separation, threats of homicide or suicide or depression. All of these are high-risk factors and point the way to lethality for women."
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 17, 2005 8:55:14 GMT -5
Police are investigating the suspicious death of a 50-year-old woman found in her home last night after the phone went dead during a 911 call. A woman called 911 last night from 4415 33 St. at 8:17 p.m. asking for help, before the phone went dead, said Acting Insp. Allan Pitts. When police arrived, they found the woman dead with trauma to her body. Pitts, who could not confirm if the woman was murdered or how she died, said they are treating the woman's death as suspicious. A male acquaintance of the woman's who was probably in the house at the time is a person of interest to police, Pitts said. Homicide detectives are investigating. The death of a woman in a southeast Edmonton home, allegedly at the hands of her estranged boyfriend, is the city's 18th homicide of the year. "Oh boy, I can't believe she's dead," said a neighbour of Betty May Kozak. "I was clutching my prayer beads all night and praying. "I knew it was something serious because of all the police cars here," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified. Police dispatchers received a "frantic" call from a cellphone Tuesday night around 8:20 p.m. Dispatchers were able to connect with Telus and determined the location of the call, a house at 4415 33 St., said spokesman Karen Carlson. When police arrived they found the body of the 50-year-old woman inside. A medical examiner determined Kozak died from a single gunshot wound. Neighbour Miguel Hormazabal, 33, said one of Kozak's sons hurriedly pulled into the crescent Tuesday night after the shooting, nearly hitting Hormazabal's company car. "He was distraught," Hormazabal said. "He just collapsed. "I just feel bad for the boys," he said, referring to the young man and his older brother, who works in Fort McMurray. Several hours later the police tactical team arrested a suspect near Capilano Mall. Neighbours said Kozak was a former teacher who suffered from multiple sclerosis. She sold tomato plants in front of her home. But they also said police were often called to the beige, two-storey stucco home, presumably for domestic disputes. Police yesterday confirmed Kozak had reported receiving death threats. The threat was made on June 9 and she reported it June 11, said Carlson. Clarence Melvin Caron, 63, is charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm used in the commission of an offence and uttering death threats. That charge came from the earlier incident. Jan Reimer, provincial co-ordinator of the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters, said she couldn't comment directly on the case but called it a tragedy. She said signs of domestic violence have been well-documented. "When we see escalating violence, continuing calls to the police, the possession of firearms, the uttering of death threats, these all put women at significant, elevated risks," said Reimer. "These are classical warning signs. "We all ask family and friends to recognize a pattern of abuse and the risk factors. They start with a prior history of domestic violence, access to weapons, separation, threats of homicide or suicide or depression. All of these are high-risk factors and point the way to lethality for women." EDMONTON – In the moments before she died, Betty Kozak used her cellphone to call 911 and plead for help. But by the time police were able to trace the call, the 50-year-old mother of three was lying dead on the main floor of her Mill Woods home, shot once. Her 63-year-old estranged boyfriend has been charged with first-degree murder. He is also facing charges of uttering threats in connection with an incident last week. Police spokeswoman Karen Carlson said the threatening episode took place June 9 and was reported on June 11. "Police had been to the house before, but as for the number of times or the circumstances, that is all part of the investigation at this point," Carlson said. Because Kozak made her call for help from a cellphone Tuesday night – which went dead – police had to get Telus to help them trace the call. They were able to identify the tower used and the phone's number gave them the owner's address, leading them to check there first. Officers arrived on 33rd Street 17 minutes after the call came in. Neighbours were able to give them a description of a van and man that had just left the home. The driver was arrested a few hours later at a gas station. Neighbour Miguel Hormazabal says police were called to Kozak's home a number of times over the past few weeks. "The police have actually been in and out regarding family disputes," he said.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 18, 2005 17:25:13 GMT -5
A "highly predatory" Westlock man convicted of having sex with three teenage girls, including coaching them in a group session, was sent to the big house yesterday.
However, it wasn't exactly the place the mother of one of the victims had in mind.
"Our family has broken down and I only blame one person and I hope he goes to hell," said the woman, reading her victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing.
Danny Depew, 38, was handed a 6 1/2-year prison term for what Court of Queen's Bench Justice Stephen Hillier called "abhorrent and inexcusable" behaviour.
The judge also criticized the former truck driver for a major breach of trust towards the three girls, aged 13 and 14, and towards their parents who had trusted him.
Depew was convicted April 11 of three counts of sexual interference and two counts of sexual assault.
Eight related charges were dismissed because one girl couldn't testify, one girl's evidence was ruled unreliable and a third girl stood by Depew and denied the incidents.
Incredibly, the same teen was still supporting Depew in court yesterday, as was Depew's recently separated wife.
After the sentencing, the crying teen yelled across the courtroom at the victims, asking them if they were happy.
Depew's wife, who came to court with her new boyfriend, threatened the victims, saying: "Payback is a pregnant dog, girls."
At the time of conviction, Hillier rejected the evidence of Depew, his wife and the girl denying the abuse, calling it full of "inconsistencies, blatant bias and exaggeration."
At trial, a girl now 16 testified she had sex with Depew because she didn't want to lose her best friend. She also produced a note from Depew seeking further sex.
The teen said she was 14 when she agreed to have sex with Depew because her best friend had done it with him in front of her and had asked her to try it as well.
"I thought if I didn't do it, she would hate me," she said.
Hillier said he used her evidence to also convict Depew of charges involving two of the other girls.
Two of the victims testified about having several sexual experiences with Depew in 2003 when they were 13 and 14, including one incident in which they and another 14-year-old girl had a group session with the man.
Depew, a tall thin man with greying hair and a long scraggly goatee, was also ordered to surrender a sample of his DNA for the national DNA data bank and be registered with the national sex-offender registry.
Court heard the victims have suffered anxiety, depression and "terrifying nightmares" from the "horrific crime."
The one girl's mother ended her victim impact statement by saying: "May God help our girls and our families."
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 18, 2005 17:27:51 GMT -5
A convenience-store robbery turned deadly yesterday after a clerk was killed by a shotgun blast to the abdomen.
It was the city's 19th homicide of the year - and third this week.
Just before 1 a.m., two gun-toting suspects burst into a Mac's convenience store in a strip mall at 44 Street and 36 Avenue, demanding money and cigarettes.
One of the two employees in the store complied - police weren't saying how much the suspects got.
As the suspects were heading for the door, 29-year-old store employee Dilbag Singh Sandhu got into a scuffle with one of them, police said.
The scuffle happened "immediately before the shot was fired," said Edmonton Police Service homicide Det. Brian Robertson, adding the weapon used was a shotgun.
There were no customers in the store at the time, police said, but a second clerk was there.
One of the employees was able to set off a silent alarm at some point, alerting police.
When police arrived, they found Sandhu - a casual employee, police said - dying from the gunshot wound. They cared for the man until paramedics arrived.
Emergency Medical Services rushed him to hospital. He went into cardiac arrest on the way and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Last night, family had gathered to remember Sandhu and declined comment.
A woman who would only identify herself as Judi said she pulled up to the store seconds after the fatal gun blast.
"I saw the man rolling around on the floor, covered in blood. He sat right up and then he fell over the other way."
Judi said she could see the older man behind the cash register. "I don't know if he was pressing the panic button or what. He was almost lurching about. He looked like he's going to fall over. Then he just disappeared (behind the counter)."
The stress of the incident was too much for the other clerk, Robertson said. The 63-year-old man was rushed to hospital with stroke-like symptoms, EMS said.
He remained there yesterday afternoon. Robertson said the man's condition was improving.
Police said the suspects disguised themselves. But police wouldn't elaborate, saying they were awaiting analysis of the security video.
The owner of the store, Dil Billing, would not comment.
Krissy Vidicek is a bartender at the Office Pub, a few doors down from the Mac's. She knows both Billing and the older man, who she believed was named Joshi. Sandhu hadn't worked there long, she added.
"He's (Joshi) super, super nice," she said. "He always says hello."
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 21, 2005 10:23:50 GMT -5
The family of a man viciously beaten to death with a baseball bat four years ago is appalled his killer is out of jail.
And victim Ove Lundgren's sister, Alison, says her family is terrified the man will come after them.
"I'm really worried about my kids. He knows my kids really well," she said yesterday.
"Who knows?
"My brother's dead, he's got two kids of his own ... To this day, I still have a hard time. I cry. There has been no closure for me."
Lundgren, 37, was found brutally beaten to death at his 9210 149 St. apartment on Oct. 26, 2001.
A 17-year-old boy was charged with second-degree murder following the slaying.
But the teenager - who can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act - pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
While the Crown prosecutor and the teen's lawyer asked the court to impose a two-year sentence followed by a year of probation, youth court Judge Sydney Wood upped the sentence to three years in custody, the maximum for young offenders.
Wood told the youth he'd had a "tragic beginning in life" and hoped he could overcome his past.
The teenager was released Saturday.
"I think it's a big farce," said Leif Lundgren, Ove's 65-year-old father.
"He should have served at least 10 years."
His son's murder has been devastating, especially for Ove's mother.
Alvina cried throughout the sentencing.
"My wife has never gotten over it," said, Leif.
"We lost a good kid. He was a good man. She (Alvina) cries every day."
At the time of sentencing, Alison said she was angry the boy received such a short term and warned he could reoffend when he was released.
"If he did it once, who says it ain't going to happen again?" said Alison.
The family says they weren't warned of the man's release until the day before it happened.
And Leif said that was only because he made a few phone calls to Alberta Justice.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 21, 2005 10:26:14 GMT -5
Two bad dudes said they just wanted smokes, but ended up stabbing a man and stealing his beer and cash Saturday, say city police.
At around 5:30 p.m., police responded to a call near 99 Avenue and Bellamy Hill. A 34-year-old man had parked his vehicle behind a residence and was carrying two cases of beer when he was approached by two men.
The men demanded cigarettes. Learning they weren't going to get any, one of the two men pulled a blade and said he'd take the beer off the man's hands, and his cash, too.
The man gave up the goods, but the bad guy - now $150 richer - stabbed the man in the thigh.
Police said the injury didn't appear to be life-threatening.
Both suspects are native males between 20 and 25 years old, police said. One of the men was wearing a blue hoodie with Exco printed on the front and white track pants. The other was wearing a black shirt.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 21, 2005 10:26:51 GMT -5
A twisted tough guy is muscling elderly women, pushing them around and then stealing their purses, say city police.
At around 9 a.m. Friday, an elderly woman was thrown to the ground as a man grabbed her purse outside a grocery store near 149 Street and 111 Avenue.
Then, at around 2:30 p.m., a second elderly woman was pushed from behind by the same man as she unlocked the door of her home near 103 Avenue and 139 Street.
Both times, the punk purse-snatcher drove off in a grey SUV, police said, adding it was stolen. The suspect is described as a 28-year-old Asian man, standing five-foot-nine.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 22, 2005 14:25:25 GMT -5
A notorious cop killer and one of the last Canadians to face the death penalty - has lived quietly in the Edmonton area until a recent run-in with authorities.
And now Richard Bergeron, 56, who also went by the last name Ambrose, will face a hearing next month to determine if his parole will be revoked.
"He kept a low profile and he'd done fairly well," said Edmonton Police Service Det. Wil Tonowski.
"His behaviour was such that his parole officer decided to suspend him ... Now he's back in jail and he'll stay there until he appears before the parole board to ask for another chance."
But neither Tonowski nor the National Parole Board would say why Bergeron's parole was suspended, citing privacy concerns.
"In this case it's because of his behaviour while in the community and that's why he's been suspended by the Correctional Service of Canada," said a spokesman for the National Parole Board. "The focus of the hearing is to make a decision to (revoke his parole) or cancel the suspension."
On Dec. 13, 1974, Bergeron and accomplice James Hutchison captured and gunned down Moncton police officers Cpl. Aurele Bourgeois and Const. Michael O'Leary in a crime that shocked the community.
Bergeron was sentenced to hang but when Parliament repealed the death penalty in 1976, his sentence was commuted to life in prison.
Bergeron married in the late 1980s - while serving time - and started a family.
He was transferred to Edmonton's Stan Daniels halfway house from a B.C. prison in 1999.
He served 25 years before receiving full parole in 2000 and settled in Edmonton.
He lived a quiet life, added Det. Jack Stewart of the EPS high-risk enforcement and apprehension team.
Bergeron's case was under media scrutiny in 1999 and 2000, when he was first granted full parole.
"We've never hunted him," Stewart said. "He has been picked up once by police in April."
Tonowski said Bergeron's recent behaviour was not illegal.
"His behaviour ... caused serious concern to a parole officer who's monitoring this individual, to have him suspended and brought back before the parole board," said Tonowski.
The suspension would allow Bergeron to "cool his heels for a bit, take a look at his behaviour, allow the parole board to look at his behaviour and see if they made a mistake by granting him parole in the first place," Tonowski said.
"It really is a major wake-up call for the offender and the parole board ... It could be a really good warning sign when these offenders start to act up.
"It shows you the system does work well sometimes. He was pulled off the street, put back in the institution so they could take a close look at his behaviour."
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 22, 2005 14:27:22 GMT -5
A Yellowknife man has been charged in connection with a weekend stabbing that left another man in an Edmonton hospital.
Jean Rene Samuel (Sam) Perrino was charged with attempted murder following the incident, which occurred in the Kam Lake industrial area of Yellowknife Sunday.
Yellowknife RCMP say the man was seriously injured after he was stabbed outside a house during a confrontation with a group of young people.
According to police, Perrino had called earlier to report the group was destroying an old vehicle.
The victim sustained at least one stab wound to the torso. He remains in stable condition at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Perrino is scheduled to appear in Yellowknife court tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 22, 2005 14:28:14 GMT -5
The hunt is on for a man wanted in connection with the death of a 49-year-old Grouard man.
Allen Cardinal was beaten on June 11 and died of his injuries in hospital a week later, said RCMP in High Prairie.
Police issued a warrant for the arrest of 22-year-old Troy Cardinal of Grouard and are asking for the public's assistance in finding him. He's wanted for manslaughter.
"He has connections to Edmonton and he has connections to the north," said Sgt. Mike Pierson of High Prairie RCMP. "If he wants to run he'll have a place to stay, or if he stays he'll have a place to hide."
Pierson said it's a matter of time before cops catch up with him.
He said the victim and suspect knew each other but he wasn't sure of their relationship.
|
|
|
Post by Sher on Jun 22, 2005 14:29:21 GMT -5
City cops said they had to Taser a man yesterday after a short, low-speed pursuit near Rexall Place.
"He'd gone through a couple of stop signs in residential areas," said Sgt. Steve Crosby, following the 2:50 p.m. incident.
Police followed the man's older-model blue pickup truck, boxed him in and stopped him along a curb on Wayne Gretzky Drive at 118 Avenue. Speeds reached 40 kmh.
Officers said they were forced to use Tasers to stop the man, who police say is in his late 20s or early 30s.
Paramedics - who are trained to remove Taser darts - yanked the projectiles from the man's upper body.
The paramedics treated him and he did not require hospitalization, said emergency medical services.
At press time, the status of the police investigation was not known.
Sun photographer Jason Franson, who was on the scene, said the shirtless man appeared calm as he was led into a waiting ambulance.
"He'd been subdued," said Franson.
It appears the man was hit by four darts, suggesting he'd been stunned twice. Large red marks covered his bare chest where the darts were embedded.
Police use of Tasers has been criticized by groups including the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association, the Alberta Civil Liberties Association and Amnesty International Canada.
Amnesty International Canada even called for a moratorium on the use of Taser weapons by police departments across the country until studies of their potential hazards are complete.
The call came in May, the same month a Calgary Crown prosecutor recommended that no charges be brought against Edmonton police Const. Mike Wasylyshen.
Wasylyshen was accused of using a Taser multiple times on 16-year-old Randy Fryingpan in October 2002.
Fryingpan had been with three other youths drinking malt liquor and smoking marijuana. The teen was passed out when Wasylyshen Tasered him.
The Crown prosecutor concluded that witness testimony was inconsistent and that his office didn't stand a good chance at making a case against Wasylyshen.
Downtown cops received new Tasers earlier this year but the rest of the police force is waiting to receive theirs until a study by the Canadian Police Research Centre is completed.
Amnesty claims 10 Canadians died after they were subjected to the electrical shocks generated by the Taser weapons.
|
|