Police investigating after Saanich mall security guards wrestle man to ground
Crowd watched as the guards took the man down and pinned him to the ground
Police are investigating after security guards at the Uptown Shopping Centre in Saanich threw a man to the ground Wednesday evening.
A video of the incident shows two security guards taking down an unidentified man in an outdoor area of the mall, then pinning him to the ground. Another guard eventually joins them as they attempt to keep the man pinned down.
The man shouts at them to get off and then shouts "Why?" A guard responds, "You spat in my face."
'Bleeding in multiple places'
The video captures the physical struggle between the guards and the man, but it does not show the events leading up to the confrontation. Kristy Westendorp shot the video and says it appeared to start as an argument over a bag of empty cans then quickly escalated.
"The man was bleeding in multiple places from his mouth and his face and his torso as well as they were putting a lot of weight on his back and around his head."
Westendorp says after the video started getting attention online, the man who was pinned by the guards reached out to her through Facebook.
"He just said he was floored by how many people had seen it and cared," said Westendorp.
She says she is not sure if he received medical attention.
The guards in the video are employees of Guardteck Security, which has offices in Vancouver, Abbotsford and Calgary. President and CEO, Seth Fruson issued a written statement that says the company is investigating the incident. The statement also says the man was previously banned from the mall for past violent action.
"When he was approached by our staff, he immediately became agitated and assaulted one of our officers," the statement says.
'No acceptable reason'
Westendorp says she isn't sure what sparked the incident, but regardless of what happened she and others were shaken by the guards' actions.
"From where I sit, there was no acceptable reason for people who are not police officers to arrest that man yesterday," she said.
Meanwhile, tension around the nearby tent city in Saanich has led to complaints from residents about theft and property crime. Tent city organizer Chrissy Brett says the man is not a resident of their camp, but the people living there are upset by the incident.
The Uptown mall did not respond to requests for comment. Saanich Police confirm that they have a copy of the video and are investigating the incident.