Disabled Laval man says police deleted video of violent interaction
Pradel Content said police slapped cellphone from his hand, deleted video
A black manis accusing Laval police of racial profilingafter he says he was pushed and handcuffedat a gasstation and had video of the incident deleted from hiscellphone.
PradelContent, 39, filed a complaint againstLaval police with the police ethics committeealleging racial profiling, excessive use of force, an unjustified fine and negligence regarding his disability.
He has also filed a complaint with Quebec's Youth andHuman Rights Commission for racial profiling and discrimination due to race and disability.
Content walks with a cane andsays he has a number of healthproblems related to a car accident in 2001.
"It affected me mentally more than anything,"said Content at a news conference on Saturday. "If the officer deleted the only evidence I have, that could acquitme or show what he did or what's going on,I don't feel safe."
"Anything could happen to me and I don't want that to happen.I want to live," he said.
Contentwas driving his Cadillac Escalade on des Laurentides boulevard the morning of May 14and going to buy cigarettes, according to Montreal's Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR).
Anything could happen to me and I don't want that to happen.I want to live.- PradelContent
According to a police report filed by Laval police officer MichaelBoutin, heandanother officerwere driving in the opposite direction to Content when they decided to U-turn to get his licence plate number. The report does not specify why they did this.
Boutinsaid he spotted an object sticking out of the truckand noticed it appeared to be a fake hand.Content said the it is a Halloween prop he likes to put on his truck.
Boutin'spartner ran the plate numberand then wrote that henoticed Content was filming them with hiscellphone.
Dispute over when cell was used
Content said he did not use hiscellphonewhile he was in his carand only started filming police once he was parked and standing outside it at a nearby gas station.
Content said police slammed the phone from his hand and pushed him.
"Since when it is illegal to videotape somebody if you're scared for your life?"Content said.
According to police, Content parked rapidly, quickly got out of his vehicle and kept filming them, while yelling and gesturing.
"We approach him, he is arrogant and mentions that we are harassing him," Boutindescribed in his report in French.
Content says that Boutinalso yelled to the other officerto prevent anyone else from recording what was happening.
In his police report, Boutin said that Content "had to be handcuffed" and put in the police cruiser.
Content saidhe was violently pushed into the police carand he told police to be careful because he was disabled.
While Content was in the cruiser,Boutinwrites, the video was deleted from Content's phone.
Illegal to delete cell videos
"This year there have been two court decisions that clearly state that it's illegal for police officers to erase private citizens's video, when that citizen is under arrest or detention," said Niemi.
"One can search a phone, one can check a phone, one can seize a phone, but one cannot abusively erase the content of the video in the phone," he said.
Eventually Content was let go, and Content says that while Boutin was removing his handcuffs the officer said, "You're lucky you live in Quebec because you know in the States what they would do to people like you."
Boutin wrote in his report that once he let Content go,Content said he had lived in Florida and that while police shoot black people there,police also get shot at in return.
Content was issued a ticket for $127 dollars for using a mobile device while driving. He contested the ticket and got the police report from the court at the end of June, said Niemi.
Content said that he started making videos of his interactions with police in June of 2016.
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