Following a Sunday interaction with a Canadian Tire employee having an epileptic seizure in a downtown Hamilton parking lot, police are defending their conduct.
The attempts to restrain Marcus Charles, 27, outside of his employment, which were caught on camera, were “acceptable,” according to spokespeople with the service.
In that video, two officers can be seen attempting to control a yelling Charles in broad daylight on a sidewalk at Main Street East and West Avenue South.
An cop can be seen using a device that looks like a taser during the altercation, reportedly shocking Charles with electricity.
“I cried out in fear for my life. I was absolutely petrified, Charles said to Global News.
“I didn’t believe that we had summoned the authorities to taser me over here. I assumed it was a request for help. I assumed that was only done to help.
Before the police were called to the site, witnesses claimed paramedics attempted to detain Charles.
According to Charles, the incident resulted in injuries to his wrist, arms, and face.
According to his companion Chantelle Chevrier, who arrived at the incident as it was coming to a close, the officers were simply unprepared to handle the medical episode.
Chevrier argued that police shouldn’t be called to a scene of medical crisis.
“They never deal with it correctly.
”
One officer sustained a concussion as a result of what transpired, Hamilton police said in a statement to Global News, adding that the “officers’ actions were appropriate to the situation they faced.”
Charles claims he posed no threat to anyone and asserts that both police and paramedics were aware of his epilepsy, just like his fellow business employees.
I assumed they were educated experts who were familiar with seizure, epilepsy, and all of this, the man continued.
“I believed that everyone was ready for this.
”
CEO of Epilepsy South Central Ontario Cynthia Milburn echoed Charles’ account of the incident and asserted that none of it was his fault.
Her main fear is that it appears that the breakdown is beyond the capabilities of the police and paramedics.
“The seizure will eventually end. On this, paramedics are trained, according to Milburn.
“I think the cops are trained in this, and they were told it was a seizure.
Thus, witnessing and learning that this kind of force exists out there upset me greatly.
Charles claims that while his boss and coworkers have been kind, it has been incredibly expensive for them to call paramedics, who then called the police.
He is currently being prosecuted on three counts of assaulting the responding officers.
Hamilton police defend their conduct after coming across a guy having an epileptic seizure in the city centre.
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