Outrage after woman Tasered at Vancouver SkyTrain station (VIDEO)

Rakesh Dutt

Editor’s Note: This article contains video which may be disturbing to some viewers.

Video of a woman being held down and Tasered at a busy Vancouver SkyTrain station is drawing fierce criticism online from those who say the actions of the Transit Police Officers were excessive.

The incident happened Thursday at the Granville Station in front of the ticket kiosks and videos of it were shared quickly on Tik Tok as well as on YouTube.

Rakesh Dutt captured video of a portion of the incident, which appears to show two officers grab a woman and force her to the ground, before Tasing her.

Daily Hive has obtained a longer version of the video but has chosen to blur the woman’s face for privacy reasons.

Throughout the several-minute incident, the woman is screaming, struggling, and calling for help. She asks at one point if the officers will allow her to put clothes on, as she is only in a bra and pants.

Officers repeatedly tell her to stop resisting arrest as she tries to get up.

At one point, the video appears to capture one of the officers pressing his knee onto the woman’s body. In another moment, the video shows an officer seeming to kick her. Several people nearby shout at the officers throughout the incident.

Another officer later arrives and the video ends.

“Earlier today, a woman was suffering from a mental health crisis at Granville Station & threatening other passengers @TransitPolice officers used physical force, including a taser, to stop her from hurting herself and others. She is now at hospital, receiving much needed care,” Metro Vancouver Transit Police wrote in a tweet Thursday night.

Earlier today, a woman was suffering from a mental health crisis at Granville Station & threatening other passengers @TransitPolice officers used physical force, including a taser, to stop her from hurting herself and others. She is now at hospital, receiving much needed care. pic.twitter.com/jgIa7vCNRf

— Media Relations for Metro Vancouver Transit Police (@MVTP_Media) October 28, 2022

Many responded to the tweet questioning the use of physical force.

“As someone who has a family member who suffers from mental illness, I would be horrified if this is how it was handled,” one person wrote in part.

Curious if officers are properly trained in how to assist those who are in a mental health crisis? As someone who has a family member who suffers from mental illness, I would be horrified if this is how it was handled.

— Tricia (@worduptohyphy) October 28, 2022

Metro Vancouver Transit Police responded to that user saying, “Officers receive a variety of ongoing crisis de-escalation and mental health training. Use of force is seldom used, but sometimes is a necessary step to keep everyone safe.”

However, many continued to question the response.

“Looks like excessive force; why the continued kicking? Also, did your police not learn anything after seeing what happened in the U.S. about why it’s important to NOT put knee on neck?!” another user wrote.

Looks like excessive force; why the continued kicking? Also, did your police not learn anything after seeing what happened in the U.S. about why it’s important to NOT put knee on neck?!

— Lynn (@Lynn77047982) October 28, 2022

While many of the comments were critical, there appeared to be a few thanking and defending the officers.

In a response to Daily Hive, Metro Vancouver Transit Police say officers had tried to de-escalate the situation and that a number of people had called police saying the woman was chasing them and screaming “incoherently and removing her clothing.”

However, police say when verbal de-escalation tactics failed, that’s when officers used the Taser as well as “knee strikes.”

“Both methods are approved for police officers in certain circumstances where a suspect is actively resisting and displaying assaultive behaviour,” police wrote in a statement to Daily Hive.

“In this particular incident, the woman attempted to grab the officers’ weapons as she fought with them.”

The woman was sedated and admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act. Metro Vancouver Transit Police say there were no reports of any injuries sustained by the woman, or to the officers.

“Over the past several months, we have seen an increase in mental health calls that are often unpredictable and dynamic in nature. Our primary goal is always to preserve the safety of everyone involved when resolving these types of incidents. In the vast majority of calls, this is achieved through means other than use of force. However, sometimes, it’s the only tool left available when safety is our priority,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

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