Dan Ferguson (Surrey North Delta Leader) – A Surrey woman says one RCMP officer dragged her from her car and slammed her to the ground after another Mountie threatened to use a Taser on her during a routine traffic stop.
The lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court by the lawyer for Trina Westad names Surrey RCMP Constable Imran Saeed and a second officer identified only as “John Doe.”
On February 12, 2009, Westad was pulled over in her car near her home in the 6900 block of 134 Street.
According to the statement of claim, when Saeed ordered Westad to get out of her vehicle, she asked him why.
“Constable Saeed became irate and directed numerous extremely profane epithets at [Westad], causing her great embarrassment and emotional distress,” the lawsuit states,
When other officers arrived, one of them was Doe, who allegedly threatened to use his taser on Westad unless she immediately exited the vehicle.
Saeed then dragged Westad from the car, slammed her to the ground and handcuffed her.
Westad was released from custody after 45 minutes and given a traffic ticket, the lawsuit states.
She suffered injuries to her neck, left arm and hand, forehead and right leg including generalized bruising and abrasions.
The lawsuit, which also names the provincial solicitor general, seeks an undisclosed amount of compensation for the injuries as well as embarrassment and psychological after-effects that are said to include depression anxiety nervousness fear of police and post-traumatic stress order.
It says the two officer are guilty of negligence, assault and misconduct and Saeed is guilty of violating Westad’s rights against wrongful arrest, detention and wrongful search.
Saeed is the Surrey Mountie currently facing two separate trials for criminal assault.
One case involves the Westad incident, the other a May 2009 incident involving Surrey residents Chris Stojak and Christopher James.
Stojak claims he was assaulted by Saeed while he was sitting handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser.
Stojak was arrested for an alleged domestic disturbance (but never charged) because of an argument with the woman he was living with.
He says when the first officers showed up, he did not resist arrest and was placed in handcuffs in the back of a police car.
Unhappy at the way he was being treated, Stojak asked a neighbour, Christopher James, to take pictures of the arrest.
Despite being handcuffed Stojak says he managed to use his cellphone to dial 911 using speakerphone mode to complain about his treatment.
After an ambulance crew showed up to respond to the 911 call, Stojak says Saeed punched him three times in the head while he was sitting in the back seat of the RCMP vehicle.
James said he was throttled and thrown against a wall by Saeed after he used his cellphone to take some photos of the arrest and got into a verbal altercation with the police at the scene.
James said Saeed continued to bang his head against a wall even after being repeatedly told that James had a heart condition and was on blood thinners.
Saeed was charged last year with two counts of assault in the incident involving Stojak and James.
Last month Saeed was charged with one count of assault in the Westad case.
Saeed, an 30-year-old RCMP officer with two years on patrol, was reassigned to administrative duties in the fall of 2009.
Once the court process is completed, Saeed will face an internal RCMP disciplinary hearing.
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