The employee dressed in the Star Wars Stormtrooper costumer at the now-former location of Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina. (Supplied by Bradley Whalen)

By David Opinko

LPS officers who arrested “Stormtrooper” on Star Wars Day cleared of misconduct

Jul 14, 2021 | 2:27 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The investigation into an arrest in Lethbridge that went viral online has now been completed.

Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh says that no officers involved are guilty of misconduct.

READ MORE: Star Wars Day promotion goes awry after LPS arrests employee in stormtrooper costume

On May 4, 2020, an employee at Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina dressed up in a Star Wars Stormtrooper costume and stood outside the business on 500 block of 13 Street North to try to draw attention to their Star Wars Day promotion.

Around 11:00 am that day, 9-1-1 received calls from two separate people who believed that the fake plastic blaster the employee was carrying was a real firearm.

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Three officers responded and say, at first glance, the firearm she was carrying appeared to be legitimate.

Two of the three officers drew their weapons but did not point them at the person. They verbally directed the worker to drop the weapon, move it away, and lay face down on the pavement.

“While the person did drop the weapon, step back and eventually kneel down, they appeared non-responsive to subsequent demands and there was a belief the person might be searching for a path to escape,” reads a statement from LPS.

One of the officers approached from behind, grasped part of the costume, and forced the person to the ground. The worker was handcuffed and the mask was removed.

“Only then were the officers able to safely determine the reported weapon was not a real weapon and that the subject was a female employee promoting a Star Wars-themed restaurant. The employee suffered a nosebleed in the incident,” continues the statement.

Mehdizadeh said the entire incident took two minutes and 20 seconds.

“There is no doubt that this incident was extremely stressful for the woman involved as she likely did not understand what was happening and was not able to see or communicate well through her helmet. Firearm calls like this are also very stressful for officers who are trying to process everything very quickly while protecting themselves and other people in the area from a potentially lethal weapon.”

The following week, Medicine Hat Police was tasked with conducting a criminal investigation into LPS’ response to the matter. It was determined that there were no grounds for criminal charges.

READ MORE: No criminal charges warranted in “Storm Trooper” incident

Police in Medicine Hat then conducted a separate investigation to see if the three officers had committed any kind of misconduct under the Alberta Police Act.

After reviewing the 250-age report, Mehdizadeh says none of the officers were guilty of misconduct with the reasonings being:

• “Upon arrival at the scene the officers confirmed the subject of the 9-1-1 calls from two citizens was carrying what appeared to be a black gun. The subject was alone in the parking lot with no signs, music or activity to suggest the officers should not take seriously the potential threat that was reported. As such they were obliged to investigate and assess the reported threat as it was relayed to them, for the safety of bystanders, themselves and the person in the costume.”
• “The officers’ actions were consistent with use of force policies and the proper protocol to respond to calls involving potential firearms in a tactically-safe manner for everyone involved.”
• “The elapsed time from the arrival of the first LPS officer on the scene, to the subject being placed in a prone position was just two minutes and 20 seconds. The time from the subject being prone on the pavement to standing with the handcuffs removed, was two minutes and 45 seconds.”

“The officers were lawfully placed in response to a 9-1-1 call and they handled the threat to which they were dispatched in a measured and prudent way, especially considering that they had a credible basis for very real concerns that the person was holding a firearm in a very public area,” said Mehdizadeh. ”They assessed the threat as best they could while trying to immediately prevent any potential shooting at them or others. They took it seriously, they followed LPS policy and training, and they brought resolution expeditiously, with no more force than was absolutely necessary. Once they observed the threat was not as it was reported, they immediately disengaged and offered the woman help”

The chief is satisfied that his officers, operating in the face of stressful circumstances, did everything in their power to minimize the impact of the event.

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