First Nations women accuse Mountie of brutality in Innisfail arrests

A spokesperson for Alberta RCMP said they stand by their press release on the incident and there's a process for members of the public to lodge a formal complaint

Two First Nations women say they were victims of an RCMP officers’ excessive force during an impaired driving stop in Innisfail.

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Mounties say one of their officers pulled over a black truck that had sped through a stop sign near the Innisfail hospital on Saturday evening, and quickly suspected the driver and passenger — both Red Deer residents — were impaired.

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They say when the female driver refused a breathalyzer test, he attempted to remove her from the vehicle but the passenger held on to her to prevent her from leaving the truck.

After she was finally removed, "the driver physically assaulted the member while he was attempting to bring both suspects under control," reads an RCMP news release.

The passenger, say RCMP, then exited the vehicle and assumed "a fighting stance and threatened the member's life."

Both the officer and the passenger were injured in the altercation.

Desiree Friesen, 24, is charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and refusing to provide a breath sample. Laura Phypers, 37, is charged with assaulting a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer and uttering threats.

But women claim the altercation began when Friesen requested assurances that the straw on the breath sample device was a fresh one and then questioned why they were being arrested.

"A lone officer . . . immediately escalated to the use of extreme force to rip Ms. Friesen from the vehicle," lawyer Andrew Phypers, the brother of Laura Phypers, said in a statement.

"Ms. Friesen became entangled in her sweater and seatbelt, causing her to choke."

He said when his sister came to the aid of her friend, she was struck in the head and chest at least seven times while Friesen's head was slammed repeatedly into the gravel road by the officer, breaking the woman's nose and inflicting a concussion and extensive bruising.

A photo provided of Laura Phypers, who's a criminal lawyer, shows a swollen and discoloured left eye.

"I can't understand how that level of force would be used against two small women on a lonely road," Andrew Phypers said in an interview.

"I would definitely say there are two sides to this story."

Andrew Phypers said it's unclear if racism played a role in the incident but added, "I can't say the optics are good — two First Nations women suffered a severe beating at the hands of police."

He said he witnessed his sister telling her two children following the incident that "this is just one officer, there's a lot of good officers out there and this is not something to blame all officers for."

Before taking any further action, Andrew Phypers said they want to see what police provide as disclosure from the incident and are willing to be patient and "see the legal process take its course . . . neither have made a formal complaint at this time."

A spokesman for Alberta RCMP said they stand by their news release on the incident, adding there's a process for members of the public to lodge a formal complaint.

"There wouldn't be a formal investigation unless a formal complaint is made," said Cpl. Troy Savinkoff.

The Phypers’ accusations are a troubling attempt to malign an RCMP officer outside a well-recognized official process that deals with complaints against police, said the spokesperson for the union that represents 20,000 Mounties.

"The third-party complainant, who presents themselves as a member of the legal profession, would know this but chose to publicly shame the officer who has no opportunity to explain the situation without compromising ongoing criminal matters before the Courts," Kevin Halwa of the National Police Federation said in a statement.

"This is a clear attempt to harm the reputation of the responding member, in addition to the physical assault and injuries they received as a result of this vehicle stop and arrest."

— With files from Michael Rodriguez

[email protected]

Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn

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