Edmonton police officer denies 'gratuitous' force during arrest

Madeline Smith · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 10, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Jurors volition soon beryllium asked to measurement the conflicting narratives presented successful tribunal astir an apprehension wherever an Edmonton constabulary serviceman is accused of excessive force.

Const. Alexander Doduk is charged with battle with a limb and battle causing bodily harm against Justin LaFrance, a antheral helium encountered connected the greeting of Nov. 26, 2019, conscionable extracurricular the courthouse wherever he's present connected trial. The serviceman has pleaded not blameworthy to some charges.

The assemblage heard closing arguments successful the lawsuit connected Monday, and they're expected to statesman deliberations aft getting last instructions connected Tuesday from Court of King's Bench Justice Lisa Silver.

Video of the incidental played successful tribunal shows Doduk punch LaFrance, past deed him with a constabulary baton 8 times, leaving him with bruises, a chipped bony and a breached nose.

LaFrance was among the archetypal witnesses to springiness evidence. He said helium was pursuing a antheral helium suspected of breaking a model astatine his enactment tract successful the erstwhile Downtown Farmers' Market building, and helium waved to Doduk in his marked constabulary conveyance for assistance — lone to ticker the serviceman abruptly instrumentality the antheral to the ground.

According to LaFrance, portion he was trying to archer Doduk that what helium was doing was "excessive" and helium mightiness person the incorrect guy, Doduk turned connected him without warning.

Doduk took the witnesser basal successful his ain defence past week with a antithetic mentation of what happened, telling the assemblage LaFrance interfered arsenic helium was trying to decorativeness an arrest, and past deed him.

According to the officer, helium had to usage unit to get power of LaFrance arsenic he resisted being arrested, grabbed onto Doduk's duty loop adjacent police-issued weapons including his gun, and held onto the close sleeve of his overgarment contempt commands to fto go.

Defence lawyer Dino Bottos asked Doduk on Thursday whether helium felt that helium did "anything gratuitous" to LaFrance.

"No, not astatine all," Doduk answered.

Jury hears officer's account

The greeting of the arrest, Doduk was connected his mode to a postulation tribunal quality arsenic a constabulary witness.

Just aft 8:30 a.m., Doduk said helium was successful his marked constabulary conveyance astatine the intersection of 103A Avenue and 97th Street erstwhile helium noticed idiosyncratic screaming — he later learned it was LaFrance.

"I heard, 'You broke my window, you portion of shit. I'm going to termination you,'" Doduk testified.

He said helium tried to inquire LaFrance what happened, but LaFrance ran across traffic to attack different antheral crossed the street, adjacent the Royal Alberta Museum.

Believing the men were "imminently" going to fight, Doduk made a telephone connected his constabulary vigor asking for much officers astatine the scene. As helium approached the pair, Doduk said LaFrance was inactive yelling that the antheral broke a window, so helium began to apprehension him for mischief.

WATCH | Video of apprehension played successful court:

The assemblage heard that the 2nd antheral was highly intoxicated astatine the time, and conscionable a fewer hours aft the incident, helium told a different EPS serviceman that helium had nary representation of thing that happened. He wasn't called arsenic a witnesser successful the trial.

Doduk said arsenic helium grabbed that man's limb to handcuff him, some combination his intoxication and the fresh, slippery snowfall connected the crushed made him autumn down.

At that point, Doduk said LaFrance came "extremely close" and started telling him determination mightiness beryllium a mistake, and it could beryllium the incorrect guy.

"I made a question arsenic if to propulsion him distant oregon shoo him distant portion telling him, 'Step back, backmost off,'" Doduk said.

The serviceman said alternatively of complying, LaFrance came and pushed his enarthrosis twice. That, Doduk said, added up to tenable grounds to apprehension him for assaulting a constabulary serviceman and obstruction.

Officer describes carnal struggle

LaFrance testified Doduk didn't accidental thing earlier helium began hitting him, which the serviceman denied, telling the assemblage helium followed the constabulary signifier of informing LaFrance helium was nether arrest, past reaching retired to instrumentality his limb to marque it wide helium wasn't allowed to leave.

But Doduk told the tribunal that LaFrance pulled his limb away, and arsenic the 2 struggled backmost and forth, LaFrance hit him.

"I noted helium was assertive and aggravated and frustrated. … Now it seems that hostility has been turned and directed astatine me," Doduk said.

The serviceman said helium repeatedly tried and failed to get LaFrance's arms behind his back, and helium deed him with an unfastened hand, past a fist, and yet his knees arsenic LaFrance grabbed his work belt. The conflict continued, Doduk said, with LaFrance grabbing clasp of his overgarment sleeve.

"I had, amid the chaos, a infinitesimal of dread feeling, due to the fact that Mr. LaFrance has present taken power of my close hand, my ascendant hand," Doduk said.

The officer said helium past moved to utilizing his baton, hitting LaFrance 5 times, past 3 much aft helium fell backwards, with Doduk saying he was telling LaFrance to enactment down, but helium inactive wasn't complying.

"Throughout this, he's conscionable saying, 'f--k you,'" Doduk said.

"Mr. LaFrance was feeling contempt toward maine — that's what I believed. The mode successful which helium spoke, the look connected his face, it was anger, aggression, contempt."

During LaFrance's testimony, helium denied that helium ever deed Doduk oregon acted aggressively.

The assemblage heard that helium has nary representation of what happened once Doduk started striking him.