[news] [Fwd: [copb-van-l] Security Guards Attack Man]

Sun Aug 31 13:53:54 PDT 2003

In typical fasion, the Province reporter refuses to ask obvious
questions like "So then, the Bay's protocol for dealing with someone
with a history of shoplifting is to send six men to beat them up, even
if they are not resisting?"

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: chris at resist.ca
To: copb-van-l at lists.resist.ca
Cc: copwatch at resist.ca
Subject: [copb-van-l] Security Guards Attack Man
Date: 31 Aug 2003 11:41:11 -0700

Security guards rough up wrong man

Salim Jiwa
The Province

Friday, August 29, 2003

Jason Martin was wrongly attacked after security at the Bay in Metrotown
mistakenly identified him as a person banned from the store for
shoplifting.

The Bay store at Metrotown admitted yesterday its security men roughed up
the wrong guy when they accosted a musician and slammed him face-first
into a wall.

Robert Jason Martin said his ordeal began when he walked into the main
mall from The Bay last Friday and heard guards running and shouting behind
him.

The next moment his face hit the wall and up to six guards were twisting
his arms as he cried out in anguish.

"I was walking down the hall and I heard people yelling and I turned and
saw security guards so I moved over toward the wall to make way and I kept
walking," said the 24-year-old.

"Three beats later somebody smashed me from behind and I am flying into
the wall face-first. They pretty well just attacked me -- somebody had a
piece of my hair, somebody had my neck, somebody had one arm and they were
twisting it one way and then the other, which is making me scream.

"One guy put his elbow into my neck and crashed me into the wall.

"They took me downstairs into the security kiosk and by that time they had
realized I was the wrong person."

The guards told him they were looking for another man and it was a case of
mistaken identity.

Martin said he called 911 and police investigated, but they told him
yesterday no charges would be laid even though he was attacked without
cause.

Martin is still in pain and has numbness in his hand. He is in physiotherapy.

The Bay spokeswoman Hillary Stauth said it was a case of mistaken identity
and the company has asked an outside adjuster to investigate.

"Clearly it is a very unfortunate incident -- it is something that
shouldn't have happened," she said. "And we would like to deal with it as
quickly as possible in order to reach a resolution."

Stauth said the company is talking to the security department in a bid to
prevent the same thing happening again.

sjiwa at png.canwest.com
© Copyright 2003 The Province