Pierrick Caron was charged in provincial court on June 30, the Department of Justice and Public Safety announced Wednesday. Quebec’s police watchdog, Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), concluded there were grounds for criminal charges following an arrest by an RCMP officer in July 2021 in Campbellton, the department said in a press release. “The evidence gathered during the investigation provided reasonable grounds to believe that an offense had been committed,” it said. “The bureau’s report was submitted to the Prosecution Service, who found that the evidence met the standards for prosecution.” Caron is scheduled to appear in Campbellton Provincial Court on July 25. A BEI spokesman confirmed the charge is related to the violent arrest captured on video on July 2.
The video
Warning: graphic material
WATCH: Video appears to show police officer punching man multiple times
The video shows alleged misconduct by Campbellton police
The officer is seen hitting the suspect multiple times in the head and chest in the video. The 74-second video shows an RCMP officer trying to restrain a man, later identified as André Mercier. After a brief struggle, the officer can be seen punching Mercier several times in the head, upper arm and chest area. The officer is then seen pinning down Mercier while another unidentified person is seen holding down his legs. Police were responding to calls about a man entering a business while wielding a stick, RCMP said. The man resisted arrest and a struggle ensued, Sgt. Mario Maillet had said. The officer was not named at the time. But Maillet had said he would be put on administrative duty pending the outcome of the independent review. “Out of respect for the legal process, the BEI will not comment further,” the BEI spokesman said. Department of Justice and Public Safety spokesman Jeffrey Downey also declined to comment further, saying the matter is now before the courts.
