Ottawa / Winnipeg, Manitoba (Reuters) - The video released after the reckless arrest of a Canadian domestic leader was "shocking," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Alan Adam last week accused him of being hit by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in connection with an expired license plate.
This week, Adam's lawyer filed an RCMP dashboard video in a court application seeking legal action to arrest and attack the police.
In a 12-minute video obtained by news organizations, including Reuters, Adam approached a police car parked outside Fort McMurray, Alberta, for a complaint of harassment. When the officer repeatedly ordered his truck back, Adam warned them both would have problems.
Later, Adam gets out of his truck and takes off his jacket and takes on a fighting stance.
When he leaves the vehicle for the last time, he is caught by an officer, while another takes him to the ground. An officer punches him in the face.
Adam led the cuff and bleeding away.
"We've all seen the shocking video of Chief Adam's arrest now, and we need to get to the bottom of it," Trudeau said in Ottawa. "I have serious questions about what happened."
The RCMP was not immediately available for comment, but Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, who oversees the RCMP, said the investigation was being closely followed.
The RCMP, which previously reviewed the video, said the use of force was appropriate. An independent Alberta agency has launched an investigation.
There have been global protests since the death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis last month.
Indigenous people have expressed their displeasure over two recent incidents with Canadian police.
Trudeau said body cameras should be fitted to Canadian police.
(Reporting by Steve Shire in Ottawa and Rod Nickel Reporting in Winnipeg, Manitoba, editing by Hua Lauer)
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