A man arrested during a protest in front of Province House earlier this week will not face any charges.

 

On September 30, shortly after 9 a.m., officers assigned to monitor a protest on Hollis Street were providing assistance to a vehicle that was attempting to exit Province House during which it was blocked by protesters. A number of officers and protesters were on the street in close proximity to each other when one of the officers observed what he thought was an assault on another officer. The officer arrested the 40-year-old Enfield man and he was transported to booking where he was released on a promise to appear in court to face a charge of assaulting a police officer. As in any case involving arrests during a protest, the file was assigned to the Integrated General Investigation Section for review and to complete the investigation.

 

An investigator has reviewed video footage of the incident, interviewed witnesses and the officers involved and met with a crown attorney. After reviewing the totality of the incident, it has been determined that there’s insufficient evidence to support the laying of a charge of assaulting a police officer. Earlier this afternoon, the investigator reached out to the man who was arrested, however, he was unavailable to meet with police today. Instead, he asked that we reach out to his legal counsel, which we have since done in order to advise that there would be no charges laid against the man in relation to this incident.

 

While we would have liked to have met with the man in person to discuss the matter, we publicly apologize to him for the situation.

 

Source: Release