RCMP officer charged with assault after investigation into Stephenville airport incident
An RCMP officer has been charged with assault following an investigation into an incident at Stephenville Dymond International Airport in June.
Newfoundland and Labrador's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT-NL) received notification of "an alleged offence from the RCMP" and launched an investigation after a video surfaced at the time showing police officers pushing a man into the side of a police vehicle.
The passenger was aboard a Delta Airlines flight from Paris to Detroit when it had to make an emergency landing for what the airline called an "unruly passenger."
In a news release on Tuesday, SIRT-NL director Michael King wrote the officer charged with assault is Const. Jeffrey Cormier.
Cormier is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 22.
The passenger was charged with unlawfully engaging in behaviour that endangers safety by interfering with duty of crew and unlawfully engaging in behaviour that endangers safety by lessening ability of crew to perform duty.
SIRT-NL won't comment further on the matter since it's now before the courts.
SIRT-NL is a civilian led oversight agency, which conducts its own investigations into serious incidents involving police officers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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