Indigenous man sues RCMP in B.C., claiming 'abusive' use of police dog left him in 'agony'

A man from Kamloops, B.C., is suing an RCMP officer from Prince George after being attacked by a police dog during a violent arrest caught on surveillancevideo more than four years ago.

Cuyler Richard Aubichon, who is Indigenous, claims Const. Joshua Grafton and the RCMP were"reckless, arrogant, high-handed [and]abusive" with a "callous disregard" for Aubichon's well-being when he was arrested in an alleyway on a snowy night in 2016.

"Grafton acted with complete and deliberate indifference towards the Plaintiff," alleges a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday.

Grafton, along with two other RCMP constables, were criminally charged last month in connection withAubichon's arrestin Prince George, B.C., on Feb. 18, 2016.

None of Aubichon's allegations has been proven. No response to the notice of claim has been filed.

Takedown caught on backyard camera

Video of Aubichon's arrest was captured by a backyard security camera. It shows thetruck he was in boxed in by police, flood-litby headlights ofan RCMP cruiser.

The videothen appearsto show a man pulled from thetruck by RCMP working with a police dog. After the man exits the truck, the dog lunges at him. An officer then appears to strike the man while he is on the ground.

WATCH: The arrest in Prince George, B.C., was captured on surveillance footage

Violent arrest by B.C. RCMP caught on video

9 years ago

Duration 2:48

Two men are stomped and kicked after police pull them from an allegedly stolen truck. One suspect's legal team seeks an investigation.

In his lawsuit, Aubichon claims Grafton "encouraged" the dog to bite his arm. It also alleges Grafton allowed the dog to continue biting him once he was face-down on the ground.

"Grafton encouraged the dog to continue biting the plaintiff, even though Grafton could hear the Plaintiff screaming in agony and begging Grafton to stop the dog," the claim reads.

"Grafton's conduct ... was physically and psychologically abusive and repetitive in the extreme."

The notice said Grafton kicked Aubichonin the stomach and hit him with a police baton while he was laying on the ground, "semi-conscious."

Aubichon, then 22, claims to have suffered injuries to his face, leg, ribs, sternum, hand and the back of his head.

Aubichon claimedRCMP did not offer him medical assistance after taking him back to the RCMP detachment in Prince George. He said the incident caused physical, emotional and psychological trauma and left him "humiliated."

Police have previously said the caseinvolved two suspects who were evading arrest in a stolen truck.

The same day the video was made public, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. sent investigators to Prince George, at the request of the RCMP.

Const. Joshua Grafton was charged in June with assault, assault with a weaponand obstruction of justice.Const. Wayne Connell and Const. Kyle Sharpe werecharged with assault causing bodily harm.

The three officers are scheduled to appear in provincial court in Prince George on Aug.12. As of June 8, the officers remained on active duty.

"The officers' fitness to continue to be on active duty has been assessed. We are confident they can continue their duties in a manner that is safe and meets public expectation,"Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet told CBC News last month.