Edmonton police constable hit a man seeking police help with baton, jury hears

Madeline Smith · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 10:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 3

An Edmonton constabulary serviceman is connected proceedings this week, facing 2 battle charges implicit a 2019 apprehension wherever helium allegedly injured a antheral with a constabulary baton.

A assemblage began proceeding grounds Monday successful the lawsuit against Const. Alexander Doduk, who pleaded not blameworthy to battle causing bodily harm and battle with a weapon.

He was charged implicit an incidental conscionable extracurricular the courthouse, near 97th Street and 103A Avenue, connected the greeting of Nov. 26, 2019. It was captured connected information video from the Royal Alberta Museum, which was played successful tribunal for the jury.

Crown authoritative Michelle Kai told jurors that Doduk deed the complainant, Justin LaFrance, multiple times, arsenic LaFrance fell to his knees. Kai said Doduk then struck him with a constabulary baton as LaFrance raised his arm, trying to support himself.

WATCH | Const. Alexander Doduk connected trial:

LaFrance testified connected Monday that helium had been trying to emblem down the serviceman for help, and helium was left with a breached nose, a chipped tooth, an wounded to his ribs and bruising down his near arm.

Kai said the cardinal question successful the lawsuit is whether Doduk's actions were justified successful the people of his duties arsenic a constabulary officer, whether helium had tenable grounds to apprehension LaFrance and if helium utilized nary much unit than necessary.

"The Crown says helium was not truthful justified, and volition inquire you to find him blameworthy of battle with a limb and battle causing bodily harm," Kai said.

Complainant testifies his encephalon 'shut off'

The assemblage heard that LaFrance was moving for a operation institution astatine the erstwhile Downtown Farmers' Market gathering connected 97th Street connected the time of the alleged assault.

LaFrance testified that helium got to enactment astatine astir 7:15 a.m. and began checking the gathering to marque definite determination wasn't harm oregon any break-ins overnight. He said that arsenic helium was turning connected breakers astir the building, helium heard what sounded similar a model breaking, and went to investigate.

He told the assemblage that a antheral extracurricular the gathering pointed him to a idiosyncratic crossed the street, adjacent the Royal Alberta Museum.

LaFrance said helium was walking toward that man by the museum, erstwhile helium saw a marked constabulary car sitting astatine the intersection, and helium waved and pointed astatine himself and the antheral to effort to bespeak helium needed help.

He told the assemblage helium ran crossed the road, but erstwhile the serviceman caught up, helium abruptly enactment the different antheral look down connected the ground.

"I said, 'I think that's truly excessive for breaking a window,' and that helium needed to calm down," LaFrance said.

He testified that helium remembers trying to pat the serviceman connected the shoulder to get his attraction to speech astir the situation.

"The full intent of trying to drawback this idiosyncratic was to get a enactment of connection — not what happened. It was not the volition of what I wanted," LaFrance said.

At that point, helium said, the constabulary serviceman "aggressively," grabbed his wrist, and LaFrance pushed his manus away, and started backing away.

"That's erstwhile I saw the aggression was coming, and my encephalon conscionable benignant of unopen off. If helium started saying worldly aft I got hit, I wouldn't beryllium capable to archer you."

LaFrance testified that helium can't retrieve the details of what happened next. He said helium recalls immoderate clip later, when several police officers were connected apical of him, putting him successful handcuffs. He said helium couldn't tell where helium was due to the fact that his glasses were broken. Eventually, helium said helium was taken to an ambulance, wherever helium could consciousness humor coming down his face.

"It's been to this point, astir six years, a spread successful my life. I don't cognize why."

The assemblage heard that LaFrance taken to the hospital, and connected the mode there, helium was told helium was being arrested for assaulting a constabulary officer.

Later on, he said helium was taken to constabulary holding cells, wherever an researcher took photos of his injuries earlier helium was released connected a committedness to look successful court.

LaFrance's grounds is expected to proceed Tuesday. The proceedings is scheduled to tally each week.