A lawyer with the Pivot Legal Society says a video of three security guards and a man in a wheelchair raises definite questions about use of force.
Doug King says the tape shows a man in a wheelchair approached by Genesis Security guards at Pacific Centre.
“We’re not sure what happened before then, and if he’d committed a criminal offence or not, but at the point that the tape catches him, there’s this confrontation between the two, the security guard threatens him, uses threatening language, and basically says that he’s gonna throw him on the ground and try to injure him and then he does just that.”
King says the man doesn’t seem to be resisting or trying to flee.
He says he wants to get in touch with the man and maybe file some complaints with the Justice Ministry.
The Vice-President of Genesis Security says the incident is under investigation.
Ashley Meehan says,
“The guards themselves are dealing with a chronic offender who was placed under arrest for theft or shoplifting I should say, and he’s known to them and to the police for being quite agressive and violent at times.”
Meehan says the man wasn’t complying with the guards’ requests.
He says the guards deal with arrests all the time.
Meehan wouldn’t speculate on any consequences the guards could face if they’re found to be at fault — adding the company has a procedure that applies to all employees.
He says he’s not aware of any issues with the guards in the past.
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