Edmonton police officer not guilty of assault in arrest where he hit man with baton

Madeline Smith · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 4:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

An Edmonton constabulary serviceman has been acquitted connected battle charges from an apprehension wherever helium punched and kneed a man, past deed him aggregate times with his constabulary baton.

The assemblage recovered Const. Alexander Doduk not blameworthy connected charges of battle with a limb and battle causing bodily harm connected Wednesday afternoon, the time aft they started deliberations.

The reasons for assemblage decisions and the details of the discussions are secret.

After proceeding the verdict, Doduk stood up to hug his wife and different supporters watching from the gallery.

An Edmonton Police Service spokesperson said Wednesday that Doduk is presently connected work successful a "non-operational role."

"As with immoderate substance involving an serviceman that has gone done the transgression process, this volition proceed to a Police Service Regulation probe erstwhile transgression proceedings person concluded. That process remains accordant careless of the result of the transgression proceedings," the spokesperson told CBC News.

WATCH | Video of apprehension played successful court:

The serviceman was accused of utilizing excessive unit against Justin LaFrance connected the greeting of Nov. 26, 2019. A information camera from the Royal Alberta Museum captured wide footage of the bulk of the encounter.

LaFrance testified that helium waved to the serviceman for assistance astatine the intersection of 97th Street and 103A Avenue, arsenic helium pursued a antheral helium suspected of breaking a model astatine his adjacent enactment site.

LaFrance said alternatively of trying to recognize what was going on, Doduk aggressively took the different antheral to the ground.

LaFrance told the tribunal helium was trying to archer the serviceman to easiness up, and that helium mightiness person the incorrect guy, erstwhile Doduk suddenly, and without explanation, turned the carnal unit connected him.

According to LaFrance, he can't retrieve what happened from the clip the archetypal onslaught came to erstwhile helium was lying look down connected the roadworthy being arrested by respective officers. The charges laid against him that time were aboriginal withdrawn.

Doduk described the events differently, saying LaFrance was aggravated and agitated, yelling astir the breached window, which led to the serviceman arresting the antheral LaFrance had been pursuing for mischief.

Doduk said LaFrance shoved his enarthrosis arsenic helium was handcuffing that man, truthful helium stood up and told him helium was nether apprehension for assaulting a constabulary serviceman and obstruction — that, Doduk testified, started a conflict betwixt them wherever LaFrance deed him successful the face.

The serviceman told the tribunal that helium had to usage unit to get power of the concern arsenic LaFrance continued to defy arrest, evading his attempts to enactment his manus down his back, past grabbing his work loop and the close sleeve of his jacket despite commands to fto go.

When punching and kneeing LaFrance didn't enactment to get him to comply, Doduk said, helium utilized his baton, striking LaFrance 8 times.

He was near with a breached nose, a chipped bony and bruises connected his limb and ribs, and helium told the assemblage helium suffers from PTSD owed to what happened to him.

Doduk is the 2nd Edmonton constabulary serviceman to beryllium recovered not blameworthy of battle charges successful caller weeks.

In May, a assemblage acquitted erstwhile EPS Const Oli Olason, who was accused of battle during a 2021 apprehension that was also caught connected camera.

The battle charges against Doduk were laid successful 2023 aft an Alberta Serious Response Team (ASIRT) investigation.

The assemblage wasn't told astir different ASIRT probe Doduk faced successful a fatal shooting little than 2 years aft the apprehension wherever helium injured LaFrance.

Documents filed successful a civilian suit place Doduk arsenic the serviceman who changeable 33-year-old Steven Nguyen connected the nighttime of June 5, 2021.

According to the ASIRT investigation, the serviceman wrote successful his constabulary study that helium believed Nguyen was holding a weapon — it was really a cellphone, and Nguyen was unarmed.

The ASIRT probe concluded determination were tenable grounds to see a culpable homicide charge against Doduk, but the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service didn't proceed with a case, with a spokesperson saying portion the constable was mistaken, "the enactment taken could not beryllium proved to beryllium criminal."