Kamloops cop caught on video in controversial arrest charged with assault

BC Prosecution Service has approved charges against a Kamloops RCMP officer for an arrest caught on video last summer. The video showed Const. David Tuck in front of Kamloops city hall after he already had one man in handcuffs who was laying on his front. He turned to arrest another woman for obstructing the arrest. Once she was on her stomach, Tucker can be seen dragging her by her wrists toward a picnic table where he had left a pair of handcuffs. "This is going viral. Very nice," the woman recording the video said as he did so. It's not clear whether the July 31, 2023, arrest led to any charges for the man and woman Tucker took into custody. READ MORE:  https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-video-controversial-video-of-kamloops-rcmp-arrest-going-viral/it99738 Controversial video of Kamloops RCMP arrest going viral https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-video-controversial-video-of-kamloops-rcmp-arrest-going-viral/it99738 Nearly a year later, it did result in charges for the RCMP officer. Tucker is facing one charge of assault and one of mischief under $5,000 both of which were laid today, July 24. He'll make his first appearance in a Kamloops courtroom, Aug. 16. Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the officer charged, but last year he said the detachment would be reviewing the incident, including what happened before the video began. He didn't provide any of those details at the time. "We are mindful that no charges have been laid against anyone depicted in the video, and that the video only provides a small portion of all of the circumstances," he said in a statement last year. "We are also mindful that while the Criminal Code provides the authority for police to use force in order to affect an arrest, the courts have provided that that force must be both reasonable and necessary. Without a complete understanding of the full circumstances, it would irresponsible for us to jump to any conclusion based on the context of this one piece of evidence." It appeared Tucker was on the scene for some time before the recording started, but it's not clear why the first man was initially arrested or what the woman might have done to obstruct the officer. He also appeared to be the only police officer at the scene, while there were multiple witnesses at the scene in front of city hall. Onlookers questioned why he "put hands on her," but none of that was seen in the video. He brandished his taser, then his handgun, when he appeared to be threatened by her leashed dog. It ends with Tucker escorting the woman to his police vehicle while the other man remained in handcuffs nearby. iNFOnews.ca attempted to contact both Tucker and the woman who originally posted the video at the time but received no response. Tucker has been on duty since the incident, but Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Crystal Evelyn has not responded to say whether that will change now that he has been criminally charged. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .