THUNDER BAY – The female officer involved in a video that has gone viral and appears to show her strike an Indigenous youth on a gurney is currently off duty as Thunder Bay Police investigate the incident.
In a media release issued late Monday, Thunder Bay Police Service said the officer has been served with a notice of investigation in accordance with the Police Service Act and is no longer on duty.
The video, posted to social media on Saturday by Latisha Hardy, appears to show an officer striking a youth on a gurney and shouting: “You do not spit on me.”
The individual involved was a 17-year-old youth from Nibinamik First Nation and a student at the Matawa Learning Centre.
According to Thunder Bay Police, officers responded to a call on Saturday at approximately 7:25 p.m. to assist paramedics with an injured female on the 400 block of Egan Street. The female was transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
While on the scene, officers located an intoxicated 17-year-old female inside the residence and the video posted online shows the moment when the youth was being prepared for transport to hospital and the physical contact between her and the officer took place.
The media release states that Thunder Bay Police Service chief, Sylvie Hauth, ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and that she “shares the community concerns regarding the video showing the interaction between the officer and the youth.”
The investigation is ongoing and the media release states further that threats against members of the Thunder Bay Police Service made over social media in response to the incident are also being investigated.
