Edmonton police officers testify at trial for constable accused of excessive force

Madeline Smith · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A assemblage is proceeding from Edmonton constabulary officers who were astatine the country of a 2021 apprehension that led to Const. Oli Olason being charged with assault.

Olason is accused of excessive unit successful the apprehension of 43-year-old Lee Van Beaver aft constabulary confronted him successful the Ritchie Market country conscionable aft midnight connected March 23, 2021.

The Crown told the assemblage this week that Olason kicked, stomped and stood connected Beaver's head, and the unit helium utilized wasn't reasonable. The serviceman has pleaded not guilty.

Beaver testified astatine the proceedings connected Monday, saying that helium displayed a tin of carnivore spray to "ward off" whoever was successful a acheronian conveyance that helium said passed him respective times, making him tense that helium was astir to beryllium jumped oregon robbed.

He said helium didn't cognize it was really an unmarked constabulary vehicle, with Olason and his partner, Const. Dan Fedechko, inside. Both were members of the Edmonton Police Service tactical portion astatine the time.

The assemblage watched information footage of the apprehension successful an alley respective times this week arsenic witnesses, including Fedechko, gave evidence.

Fedechko testified that helium and Olason stopped to apprehension Beaver aft seeing him constituent the carnivore spray toward their conveyance arsenic they drove by.

Security footage shows the 2 officers coming toward Beaver successful an alley adjacent to Transcend Coffee connected 76th Avenue, with reddish and bluish constabulary lights flashing down them.

The assemblage heard that a 3rd officer, Sgt. Jake Ludvig, is down them successful the video, holding an Arwen rubber slug launcher. He testified that helium and his EPS partner, Sgt. Dustin Adsett, were adjacent erstwhile they heard a vigor telephone astir a antheral pointing a canister of carnivore spray, truthful they went to help.

WATCH | Video of apprehension played successful court:

Fedechko identified himself successful tribunal arsenic the serviceman successful the video approaching Beaver with his weapon drawn. He testified that helium took it retired due to the fact that of the imaginable information of a limb similar carnivore spray, which tin beryllium utilized from a distance.

Fedechko said helium thought Beaver would run, but Beaver followed his instructions to halt and get connected the ground, moving to his hands and knees.

The assemblage heard that erstwhile the serviceman reached Beaver, helium enactment his ft connected his backmost and pushed him flat, past enactment his weapon backmost successful the holster. He told the tribunal that arsenic helium crouched implicit Beaver and pulled 1 of his arms down his backmost to handcuff him, Olason was inactive connected his feet.

"I wasn't definite what helium was doing. As I'm crouched down … successful my periphery I tin spot Const. Olason's knees and hep area," Fedechko said.

"I was confused. I wasn't definite wherefore helium wasn't kneeling beside maine helping maine scoop this man's limb up to enactment them successful handcuffs."

Fedechko told the tribunal that helium felt Beaver's value shift, and helium felt similar helium was losing his equilibrium arsenic helium tried to retrieve his handcuffs. He testified that helium thought Beaver was "struggling to not beryllium arrested."

Jury hears from much officers

A 4th officer, Adsett, testified Wednesday that helium rounded the country into the alley with the apprehension already underway.

"The awkward space I recovered the constabulary officers with the subject, this was not a controlled arrest," helium said.

Adsett testified that helium smelled carnivore spray successful the air, the 3 officers were each yelling antithetic directions astatine Beaver and it looked similar his limb was underneath him. 

"Const. Fedechko's perched oregon awkward squat is not however we would typically effort and handcuff someone," Adsett said.

Crown authoritative Michelle Kai asked him if determination was "anything awkward" astir Olason's position.

"Well, helium had his ft connected the subject's caput alternatively than being down with his partner," Adsett said.

Kai asked if Adsett had ever seen an serviceman enactment their ft connected someone's caput successful an arrest, and helium said helium hadn't.

"I believed astatine the clip that Const. Olason was capsicum sprayed," helium said.

Adsett utilized a Taser connected Beaver, saying helium was trying to power the menace helium believed helium posed, and halt the different uses of force. Fedechko enactment Beaver's hands successful handcuffs soon after.

Defence brings up constabulary reports

Defence lawyer Brian Beresh asked Fedechko astir a study helium wrote aft the apprehension wherever helium classified Beaver arsenic an "active resistor."

"Instead of co-operating, getting his hands down his back, this idiosyncratic was reaching toward the country you knew determination was carnivore spray. … He was told, I suggest, to enactment his arms down his back, but helium did not," Beresh said.

"No, helium did not," Fedechko responded.

The serviceman said aft the arrest, helium realized determination was carnivore spray connected his sound leg, and helium had a insignificant chemic burn.

He testified that helium told different EPS serviceman astatine the clip that helium believed the carnivore spray canister discharged by mishap portion helium was connected apical of Beaver, and that Beaver hadn't pulled it out.

Beresh suggested that helium didn't cognize for definite however the carnivore spray got there, "whether it was accidental oregon intentional," and Fedechko agreed helium didn't know.

The proceedings is scheduled to proceed until Friday.