Violent arrest by Calgary police caught on video appears 'gratuitous,' says lawyer

While police are entitled to use force, a criminal defence lawyer says officers may have gone too far when arresting a man on Friday outside a Calgary bar.

A 21-second video posted to Instagram, which has recently been taken down, shows an officer throwing a man to the ground outside 1410 World Bierhaus Restaurant and Lounge before punching him at least twice while two other officers help restrain him.

"The initial punches to the face appear gratuitous," Dale Fedorchuk told the Calgary Eyeopener on Tuesday.

"The level of violence seemed to escalate very quickly."

Calgary police Chief Roger Chaffin announced on Monday that a review is underway into the actions of the officers involved in the violent arrest.

• Review underway of violent arrest caught on video

The Calgary Police Commission willclosely monitoring the investigation to "ensure it is appropriate, fairand thorough,"commissionchairHowie Shikazesaid in a release.

Calgary Eyeopener6:58Calgary defence lawyer comments on controversial police video

Criminal defence lawyer Dale Fedorchuk offers his thoughts on a video which shows an altercation between police officers and a man outside a bar on 17th Avenue S.W.

Video does not tell whole story

While Fedorchuk was surprisedhow quickly the violence escalated in the arrest, he says the video does not tell the whole story.

"Police actions should not be judged against a standard of perfection," said Fedorchuk.

"The police engage in dangerous and demanding work and often have to react quickly to emergencies. And we also don't know what happened before the video clip was recorded."

He said in this particular incident,it would have been "very beneficial" if the officers involved would have been wearing body cameras.

• Eyewitness tells different story of viral Calgary police video

If someone is resisting arrest, Fedorchuk said there are a number of tactics police can use to resolve the situation, including calmly speaking to the individual to encourage them to co-operate.

Depending on the level of resistance from the individual, he said police are entitled to use force to take control with stunning blows and Tasers.

However, he said police are not entitled to resort to violence to get someone's attention.

"Their actions have to be authorized by law they have to act on reasonable grounds in performing those actions."

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener