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Innocent Girl Injured at 80th Apple Blossom Parade While Kentville Police Arresting Man
This past weekend I witnessed something that has been bothering me ever since. During the Grand Street Parade at the 80th Annual Apple Blossom Festival, a bare chested man, who appeared to be on drugs, was walking down the sidewalk with a police officer following him. The Kentville Police officer then pulled out his billy club and started yelling at the man to lay on the ground. The man didn’t comply with the request and said he was just walking, and told the cops to leave him alone. The cop again shouted at him to lay on the ground. At this point another cop entered the area and the two cops together tackled the man and took him to the ground. In the struggle, there was a little girl sitting with on a lawn chair who was knocked out of her lawn chair, and landed on her face on the sidewalk. The little girl, who was probably only 3 or 4 years old, was bleeding quite badly from the nose, and was obviously shaken up.
My question is this. Why did the cops feel they had to enter into an altercation with the man in the middle of a parade, which was densely populated with people, many of which were young kids. Now I have to admit, that I have no idea what the man did for the police to be following him in the first place, but at the time this altercation, the man was just walking away and not posing any immediate danger to anyone around him. Why couldn’t he have been followed to a less populated part of the parade, or waited until there was enough of a police presence that a struggle such as this wouldn’t occur? I imagine the man will be charged with resisting arrest, and I know it isn’t an excuse, but any person who is all hopped up on some sort of drugs would probably reacted in the same way (struggled), when surprised by a police officer from the side, while another police officer was yelling at him with a billy club drawn from the front.
Now don’t get me wrong. The man who showed up to the parade under the influence of drugs is certainly at fault as well. If he would have complied with the cops request to get on the ground any of the half dozen times that he was asked to do so, this wouldn’t have happened. Hell, the fact that he showed up at the Apple Blossom Grand Street Parade at all in the state he was in, is grounds enough to arrest him, regardless of what he did prior the police following him. There is no place for drugs on the streets at any time, let alone at a parade which is aimed at families and kids. Examples should be made of those people who show up high to a kids parade. I just think the cops could have used much better judgment in ensuring that all bystanders weren’t at risk during the arrest.
June 11, 2012 at 1:57 am
I can see your point but i don’t think the cops were to blame in this instance because if you see the video when they ask him to get on the ground and he turns around to talk to them and that when he turns back around he makes a run for it so the cops couldn’t exactly wait for the right moment. People on drugs a very unpredictable and while i feel very badly that the child got hurt (which i blame on the guy who was not listening to the cops and not the cops at all) if they had let this guy just run away he may have done worse such as killed someone cause as i said people on drugs are very unpredictable, I think they did what they had to do and i hope this guy gets charged.
June 11, 2012 at 4:57 pm
your an idiot
June 11, 2012 at 3:28 am
…The man may be under some influence, but the police officers were not. They are supposed to be trained how to handle such situations, and I wouldn’t be surprised that “drug influenced persons arrest procedures” is taught on the very first day of training.
The police are expected to be in control of such situations as this, for the reason to protect the public. They were never in control, but they did show aggressive intent, poor planning, and poor judgement during this arrest.
My deepest regrets to the young child and their family, along with all the young bystanders who had to witness such a mismanagement of public safety.
At the least, these officers should be taken off street patrol until they have been retrained.
June 15, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Hey jason when did you take police training, maybe you should take your head out of your ass and get the full story.
June 25, 2012 at 7:53 am
Well I have friends that are security officers, and do have the authority to arrest people. How the police handled this arrest was improper they could have waited until the man that the needed to arrest wasn’t in harms way, and not tackle him on the bystanders. Maybe it wasn’t recorded by the person that got the video footage but I heard not one of the officers as if the people they landed on where injured or offer an apology for what happened. Then when I hear the police chief on TV news report on ATV saying that there was nothing wrong with the how the arrest was done and yet again no statements of concern for the child that was injured. I am from the area and have seen too many times that the police there and in Wolfville have acted more like thuggish bouncers at a bar like “JR’s” (which I guess is no longer open, but well it was pretty seedy) than they do as officers of the law that are to protect the public.
So really why were there no apologies to the child or her family for her injuries?
June 11, 2012 at 10:03 am
It looked more like the guy purposely fell on the child trying to use her as a shield against the cops, but was too out of it to stay on his feet. My husband and I feel that the cops did the right thing with the new drug “bath salts” out; you never know what could happen with those drugs, and I’d rather any one acting like that was seized before they hurt anyone, especially where I have a small child of my own. We were just up the road from this when it happened – what if he had gotten violent by the time he reached us?
August 10, 2012 at 7:23 am
You sound like a police PR agent.
June 11, 2012 at 11:57 am
The man had been screaming and hollering obscenities for several minutes before the police officer began to follow him. I’m talking obscene things. He was obviously under the influence of some chemical stronger than alcohol.
Also, those police officers were not from the Kentville Police Service. They were in from Halifax assisting with security for the weekend. You should check your facts before posting them here.
June 15, 2012 at 5:16 pm
listin… u are an idiot i am the guy u say was on drugs im telling you i was sober if you got a problem with me come say it to me i live in berwick
June 15, 2012 at 10:47 pm
hey tough guy settled down!
August 10, 2012 at 7:24 am
He’s just defending himself.
June 11, 2012 at 12:22 pm
I said I didnt know what the man had been doing to make the police start following him. I could be wrong, but I think they were wearing Kentville Police uniforms. I agree he was on something stronger than alcohol. Another person who was standing beside me at the scene said they saw police pull a baggy out of his pants. What also strikes me funny is the guy with the green shirt. He came looking to be hero. You see him start following and then jump in immediately. Saw him shaking hands with the cops afterwards.. Was kind of weird.
June 11, 2012 at 1:28 pm
The scum sucking pig deliberately fell onto the child in his attempt to flee! If you watch the video, the police gave him every opportunity to comply with their requests and he refused! Now how about placing blame at the feet of the perpetrator instead of the police. The child was a pawn and the police did everything possible to protect her and those in the immediate area!
June 11, 2012 at 4:06 pm
If you watch the video again you can clearly see that the intoxicated man did NOT intentionally fall onto the little girl. When the man went down it was because there was an officer pulling him down, and unfortunately it was on top of that little girl. Check it out again, and you will see what I am talking about.
August 10, 2012 at 7:24 am
You must be a cop.
Cops are the only scum sucking pigs in this country.
June 11, 2012 at 2:58 pm
The person writing this article and most of you folks leaving comments need to give your head a shake… A drug induced man is walking around a public event, absolutely chock full of adults AND kids. People at the event were worried enough about the man’s behaviour to call the police. The police arrive, try to talk to the suspect then ask him to get on the ground and he turns to run away.
The problem here is, not one bit of background that led up to this video is even included in the shoddily written article. The fact that the author makes assumptions and even admits that he has no idea why he was being following by the police makes me angry. What happened to reporters getting the “facts” before writing an article?
It’s really unfortunate that the child, and other bystanders, were caught up in the middle of this one everybody, but what else could have been done? He didn’t get tazed, beaten or shot. He was taken down and handcuffed. Confrontations with people under the influence of alcohol or drugs can’t always be resolved with a heart to heart conversation along with some milk and cookies.
What would your opinion be if this man assaulted someone BEFORE the police took action. Then you would all complain that the police took too long to act. The police are always damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.
June 11, 2012 at 3:15 pm
I agree with the admin here. I don’t care what the guy said or if he was drunk or on drugs if they felt the need to take him down it should not have been on top of civilians, let alone children. And no, the guy did not fall on the child deliberately, watch that video again…a cop surprises him from behind/the side and takes him into the crowd while the other pulls him down on top of that child with no regard for her well-being. I saw the video two days ago but I didn’t realize she had been that badly hurt. And the civilian in the green shirt playing cop is a goof. There was enough cops there to take care of the situation (or bungle it accordingly as they did) and it’s not like he was waving a gun or something. A bunch of losers all the way around. However the impression that I get is they could have easily told the guy to get lost and he would have walked away instead of the cops having to resort to violence but I guess if you take away a cop’s ego you might as well be taking away his gun.
June 11, 2012 at 5:00 pm
If that was my daughter the cops knocked over,I would have had some strong words with that officer. They should have let the man walk away until he was away from the crowd. The man was clearly walking away from them when the cops decided they had to take him down. The parents should charge the cop with assault on a minor.
June 21, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Hey Kenny, if you dont know the hole story behind somthing maybe you should be learn the hole storey before you put stupid comments!
June 11, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Where are the facts in this article?
1. Did the reporter try to get a statement from the police?
2. What was the guy charged with?
3. What happened prior to this video being shot?
4. Did the child require medical aid?
This article seems to be written with an anti police slant. I know how many people can be at Apple Blossom and wonder how others would have got the guy away from others without injuring anyone.
Do I feel for the child?. YES. Do I know what happened before or how much of a danger this guy was? NO. This article does not give any facts at all.
I am tired of people who act out in public being considered the victim. If the guy would have obeyed orders from the police this would not have happened. That is who I blame the jerk that decided he could ruin others celebration.
August 10, 2012 at 7:25 am
Every stance these days should be anti-Police… The only people pro-Police are the bankers and Harper.
June 11, 2012 at 10:53 pm
So we were at the parade ourselves with our 2 children, however we were not near where the incident took place. I know that people can be arrested for intoxication in a public place, so we all know every apple blossom there are people drinking and people high. So if that was me the minute I seen the cops and expecially when they had their stick out I would have got my children the hell outta that area by moving them or getting infront of the children. If people werent too involved in watching the scene they could have gotten that little girl outta the way before she was hurt.
June 12, 2012 at 6:14 pm
I have just finished reading all the posted comments about what happened on parade day.I am sorry to see that a little girl was hurt.The young man also had some injuries to himself due to the fact that he was tackled and put to the ground,also 4-5 five men using force holding him and sitting on him.What I find very upsetting is almost all the posts from people assume he was either drunk or stoned,not one person assumed he might have a mental health issue!Shame on all of you out there who judge someone by their looks only ,it really is a sad day when you are judged guilty for something and deemed a bad person by the way you look.I feel the police could of handled this alot better than they did and need more training in dealing with people with mental health issues.I know for sure if I was the slightes bit paranoid and hadn’t done anything illigal and had an officer coming at with me with his club out I wouldn’t want to stop either.No one knows how they would act when a clearly visable threat against you is present.People really need to stop assuming and accusing until they have all the facts.My SON is a human being who deserves to be treated fairly as the rest of you would like to be treated,how much force do you think is alright to use on someone who was charged with assulting a police officer and resisting arrest after he was put to the ground and started defendin himself ! 5 to 6 billie clubs?
June 15, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Everyone has a right to their opinion, on this. But I agree with the admin. Looking at all the facts given and the evidence on the video. Under the influence man, cops went overboard, little girl and boy hurt in process. Apple blossom for some is a family oriented event and to others a drunken fest. Regardless, little girl was hurt and traumatized. As a mother I know damn well more then just one person would be getting charged for this. And as a mother it’s situations like this that some children are scared of police officers.
June 15, 2012 at 10:56 pm
Debbie i think you should look at the video once again as it shows the male trying to run away. very sad that a girl got hurt in the mean time but there could of been a hole lot of other people getting hurt if this male that was all drugged acted out his thoughts. Good that everyone has an opion but its very easy to judge the police that work hard everyday to make your community a safer place to live. Did anyone ask how the police officer was doing when he got hurt out of this incedent? Before the male was taken down! People you really need to hear all the facts also the person writting the article.
August 10, 2012 at 7:26 am
He doesn’t try to run away, they pounce like 5 guys on him at once.
June 15, 2012 at 3:34 pm
I agree with Jeff’s comment. First of all we don’t know all the facts it’s so annoying to see people make comments on half a story. Second of all if I was witnessing an altercation with police and a person that is on drugs or mentally ill, doesn’t matter what was wrong with him, I would immediately take my child away from the situation. Police have to deal with very unpredictable circumstances all the time I do feel for the child but it’s not like the police pushed the suspect on top of her on purpose. They tried to subdue him quietly but like many said, someone unstable mentally or being influenced by drugs is very unpredictable.
June 15, 2012 at 5:29 pm
listin everyone i wasnt on drugs or drunk i was jus walking to tim hortons for a drink of water so if you want to keep running your ignorant mouths about somthing you dont even know a thing about then keep doin it i will beat this charge and if for some reason i dont ill be ok because im not worried about anything the police can do to me they do not scare me a bit they accuaqlly make me laugh .
June 15, 2012 at 10:49 pm
Hey how did you get so smart! The video and postive comments say it all about you! You an you alone is the reason this all happened don’t forget it!
June 15, 2012 at 8:03 pm
I think by watching this video over and over and over again. The police could of just followed the suspect, coaxing him away from the crowd.RUSHING him was a knowing action that a huge scuffle was going to happen. If protecting the public was the main concern , then they could of reacted other than they way they did.
June 29, 2012 at 1:25 am
This guy was on bath salts just got out of prison Bad dude!
August 10, 2012 at 7:19 am
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=51e_1338719015
These guys who are private security handled a huge drunk guy very well; maybe the cops around here should take some lessons from them.
August 10, 2012 at 7:22 am
These cops clearly hunt him down, like they are stalking prey while hunting; he doesn’t appear drunk, or at least displaying signs of being drunk; and anyone in their right mind would ask the cops “What did I do now” when one of them is approaching with a baton extended.
Cops are getting too out of hand the last 10 years…. The last 2 or 3 years especially seems bad in Canada.