The Vancouver police department has been left red-faced and apologizing profusely after officers, looking for an assault suspect deemed to be 40 to 50 years old, slapped cuffs and detained an 81-year-old black man … who turned out to be a former judge for British Columbia’s Supreme Court.
Selwyn Romilly was taking his morning walk around Stanley Park on Friday when he was stopped by five white officers.
“They said that they got a complaint about someone fitting my description, and before I could say anything, they told me to put my hands behind my back and they shackled me with handcuffs,” Romilly told CBC News.
“I have no gun, I don’t have anything in my hand or my person. And here you have — at 9:45 a.m., near to Third Beach where you have lots of people — you have a black guy … shackled in handcuffs and people passing by. I found that most embarrassing.”
After Romilly told the officers he was a retired judge, they released him from the handcuffs “after about a minute.”
“You would think that we’re past that stage in Canada,” Romilly said of the arrest.
Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison told the CBC officers were responding to several 911 calls about a man assaulting strangers on the seawall near English Bay. The suspect was said to be walking normally, but then he would suddenly start kicking, punching and spitting at people.
“Officers observed a man who resembled the description of the suspect and briefly detained him to investigate. Given the violent nature of the incident, the man was handcuffed,” Addison wrote.
However, Addison confirmed that the description given for the suspect was “a dark-skinned man, 40–50 years old, wearing a red top.”
The correct suspect was later found.
Romilly said two senior officers have reached out to apologize, and he doesn’t plan to file a complaint, but hopes the police department makes some changes.
Discussion about this post