Charges have been dropped against a Canadian Indigenous leader whose violent arrest was captured on video and decried by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "shocking".
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam's lawyers told a news conference that prosecutors formally withdrew the charges of resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer, at an earlier court hearing.
A dashcam video, filmed and released by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provoked outrage and led Mr Trudeau to call for an independent probe of the incident.
"We know that this is not an isolated incident," Mr Trudeau said after seeing the video.
"Far too many black Canadians and Indigenous people do not feel safe around police. It's unacceptable. And as governments, we have to change that," he said.
The video showed an officer rushing at Chief Adam on 10 March during an encounter over an expired licence plate outside a Fort McMurray, Alberta casino. The officer is seen tackling Adam and punching him in the face.
Earlier this month, Mr Adam circulated images of his bruised and battered face following the arrest.
Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. Source: The Canadian Press
The incident came amid heightened scrutiny of policing and protests around the world against racism and police brutality, following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, during an arrest by Minneapolis police.
Mr Adam said Wednesday he hoped his experience would lead the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "to make changes that are necessary" in the way officers interact with visible minorities and aboriginal peoples.
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