Global Courant
A Red Deer lawyer says she and her boyfriend were beaten by an RCMP officer last weekend after being pulled over in a central Alberta town.
Defense attorney Laura Phypers, 37, suffered a concussion and broken nose after being punched at least seven times in the face and chest by an officer, according to her brother, also a lawyer.
However, RCMP says it is sticking to their original press release, which characterizes the two women as the aggressors.
The women were stopped on Saturday in Innsifail, a town about 100 kilometers north of Calgary. At the time, Desiree Friesen, 24, was driving while Phypers was in the passenger seat. Both women are native.
‘Two sides’
Friesen is charged with assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest, refusing a breath sample and dangerous driving.
Phypers is charged with assaulting a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer and making threats.
On Monday, RCMP issued a press release detailing the women’s alleged crimes.
But Phypers’ brother, Andrew Phypers – who is a lawyer in Red Deer – responded on behalf of his sister, saying there is no doubt about a roadside confrontation, but that there are “two sides” to what happened.
Andrew Phypers said that while his sister declined to participate in the public forum and “trusts that the facts will eventually refute the allegations against her,” the RCMP release “forces a response.”
‘Closed Fists’
On Saturday, RCMP said an officer pulled over a lorry after it allegedly ran a stop sign near Innisfail Hospital.
The officer demanded a mandatory alcohol check sample.
According to Phypers’ statement, Friesen requested a clean straw for use on the sifting device.
The officer “immediately escalated to using extreme force to rip Ms. Friesen from the vehicle,” the Phypers allege.
Friesen, who was still wearing her seatbelt, ‘got entangled in her sweater and the seatbelt and suffocated’.
Red Deer attorney Laura Phypers suffered injuries during an altercation with police over the weekend. (Andrew Phypers)
Once on the side of the road, Phypers “came to the aid of her friend,” the statement said.
“Const. Binnendyk delivered no less than seven closed fist blows to the head and chest of Mrs. Phypers,” the report reads.
Friesen, lying face-first on the ground, “had hit her head several times in the gravel.”
Women “belligerent,” says RCMP
But RCMP says that “the driver and passenger were both intoxicated, belligerent and verbally aggressive towards the officer.”
The officer was in the process of arresting the driver for refusing to provide a breath sample, but according to the Mounties, she refused to get out of the vehicle.
The police statement continues that the passenger grabbed hold of the driver to avoid arrest.
After Friesen was removed from the truck, Phypers got out and “approached police in a fighting stance and threatened the member’s life,” the RCMP statement said.
Friesen is accused of physically assaulting the officer when he tried to arrest both women.
Police say both the officer and the passenger were injured.
Both women are due to appear in court later this month.
RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said that if there are allegations of excessive force, there is a process where people can file a report and it can be investigated.
