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Video shows rough arrest of man in trial on firearms charges

Cody J. E. Wilson was arrested in Penticton on Oct. 7, 2016 outside the Denny’s parking lot

A video showing Penticton RCMP officers yelling at a man they were trying to arrest and throwing a punch at him was played during a jury trial on Monday.

Captured by a witness making a delivery to the Sandman hotel in Penticton’s north end, the video shows Cody J.E. Wilson on the ground in the Denny’s parking lot, attached to the Sandman, with three officers struggling with him on the ground.

Wilson is standing trial on two counts of possessing restricted or prohibited firearms with ammunition, carrying a weapon or prohibited device and storage of a firearm contrary to regulations after his arrest on Oct. 7, 2016.

The Western News successfully applied with the B.C. Supreme Court to have the video of Wilson’s arrest released for publication in court Monday morning.

Warning: Video may be disturbing for some viewers.

Wilson can be heard screaming in the video, which runs a minute and eight seconds, a number of times asking why he is being arrested.

At the outset of the video, Wilson appears to ask what he is being arrested for, while an officer yells at him to “get your hands behind your back. Now.”

Wilson’s question is immediately followed by the same officer telling him, again, to put his hands behind his back as he winds up and punches Wilson at the five-second mark with a blow that can be heard on the video, from several metres away.

More screaming is heard from Wilson, who, again, asks what he is being arrested for. An officer appears to say “possession” twice, but does not finish the sentence, as another officer commands Wilson to put his hands behind his back.

“I can’t,” Wilson appears to say. “I’m sorry, officer, I can’t.”

Wilson’s screaming slowly calms down, as handcuffs can be heard clicking into place on Wilson, and for a fourth time Wilson asks what he is being arrested for.

“Possession of a prohibited weapon,” an officer said, shortly followed by another officer saying “I’ve got one right here” as he reaches into Wilson’s right pocket.

“Secure it,” an officer says in the video, and the officer pulls something out of Wilson’s pocket and places it on the ground.

The witness testified in court Monday morning, saying she saw Wilson being pulled out of the vehicle before beginning to record the video, which she gave a copy of to the police.

“I saw two policemen struggling with a person, and I saw a third person join,” she said. “It appeared he was in pain. Some degree of pain. He was saying ‘ouch’ and otherwise showing signs of pain.”

The witness said much of her recollection of the event came from the video.

“I was actually really upset, so it was kind of all a real blur, so anything I saw, I saw in the video,” she said. “My recollection of the event as a whole is really little.”

Crown lawyer Andrew Vandersluys wrapped his case up Monday morning, with the defence case initially expected to begin thereafter, but a defence witness, who lives in Princeton, was unable to make court on Monday.

The trial is expected to resume Tuesday, with the defence case set to run and close within a day.


@dustinrgodfrey
dustin.godfrey@pentictonwesternnews.com
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