A statement from the Saskatoon Police Service says the effects of addictions and related mental health issues were present during an incident which is receiving a lot of public attention after a six and half minute video was released by a group called the Indigenous Joint Action Coalition.

An officer involved has been placed on paid leave until a review of the incident and use of force investigation are complete. The video shows an officer trying to hold a man down while he attempts to put handcuffs on him, but the man continues to resist and is pepper sprayed and punched and then several other officers respond to help the first officer. The Saskatoon Police Service said in a statement it is aware of the video and that not all of the interaction is recorded on the posted video. The man sustained a non-life threatening injury to his face.

A 27 year old man was charged with assaulting a police officer, disarming a police officer, mischief and possession of a controlled substance, also in connection to the incident which occurred in the 500 block of 11th Street East. Saskatoon Police were called to a report of a suspicious person around 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon.

Warning: some may find the content graphic when viewing the video posted by Indigenous Joint Action Coalition which can be viewed here.