Charges against Allan Adam, Chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, have been dropped.
The Crown Prosecutions Office announced today they’ve withdrawn charges against Adam stemming from an incident with the Wood Buffalo RCMP back in March.
He has claimed he was assaulted by members of the detachment after being pulled over for an expired license plate.
Dashcam footage of the incident appears to Adam being tackled by one of the officers who also punches him in the face while he’s being restrained.
In the nearly 12-minute video, Adam is heard arguing with one of the officers and at one moment steps out of the vehicle, removes his jacket, and confronts one of the members.
After the incident, he had been charged with assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.
In a statement, the RCMP say this decision was never their’s to make.
“The role of the police is to investigate and gather evidence in support of a charge and the RCMP fulfilled that role on this file. The Crown’s role is to assess the elements of the offense and to determine if they prosecute. As we’ve heard today, the Crown has made the decision to withdraw the charges.”
The two officers are currently being investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.