A man visiting from Alberta said he will file complaints to the city and police chief after he found himself at the centre of a heavily-armed police take-down in Winnipeg, accused of a crime he didn't commit.
Andrew Lyons had stepped out of his parents' home on Harrow Street on Dec. 17, around 4 p.m., to secure his truck with an anti-theft device. The next thing he remembers, several police units were surrounding his parents' house, and he ended up in handcuffs in the back of a cruiser.
"I saw, I don't even know how many, officers hiding behind doors with weapons pointed at me," recalled the 31-year-old.
He said police were responding to a report that a man was seen waving around a shotgun in a truck parked in front of the house.
Lyons said he was in his truck just minutes before, but he was holding his anti-theft club, not a gun.
The Winnipeg Police Service said when it comes to any sort of gun call, the safety of officers comes first. That's why so many units responded. But Lyons feels it was an over-reaction on the part of the police.
"It doesn't seem right," he said. "The actions the police took are far more drastic than I would have ever imagined for such a thing."
Although officers apologized after no gun was found, the Lyons family says they will be sending complaint letters to the city and police chief.
They are also considering filing a formal complaint with the Law Enforcement Review Agency (LERA).
- with a report from CTV's Jillian Taylor
