RCMP officer charged with assault in connection with violent Campbellton arrest video
Pierrick Caron is due to appear in provincial court on July 25
A Campbellton RCMP officer has been charged with assault following an independent investigation into a video posted on social media last summer that showed a man being punched several times during his arrest.
Pierrick Caron was charged in provincial court on June 30, the Department of Justice and Public Safety announced Wednesday.
Quebec's police watchdog agency, Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), concluded there were grounds for criminal charges after an arrest by an RCMP officer in July 2021 in Campbellton, the department said in a news release.
"Evidence gathered during the investigation provided reasonable grounds to believe that an offence had been committed," it said.
"The bureau's report was submitted to Public Prosecution Services, which determined that the evidence met the standard for prosecution."
Caron is scheduled to appear in Campbellton provincial court on July 25.
A BEI spokesperson confirmed the charge is related to the violent arrest captured on video July 2.
The video
Warning: graphic footage
WATCH: Video appears to show officer hitting man several times
The 74-second video shows an RCMP officer attempt to restrain a man, later identified as André Mercier.
After a brief struggle, the officer can be seen striking Mercier several times in the head, upper arm and chest area.
The officer then appears to straddle Mercier while another unidentified individual appears to restrain his legs.
Police were responding to calls about a man entering a business while wielding a stick, the RCMP have said. The man resisted arrest and an altercation ensued, Sgt. Mario Maillet had said.
The officer was not named at the time. But Maillet had said he would be put on administrative duties pending the result of the independent review.
"Out of respect for the legal process, the BEI will not be making any further comments," the BEI spokesperson said.
Department of Justice and Public Safety spokesperson Geoffrey Downey also declined further comment, citing the matter now being before the courts.