Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Signal High) —– A Canadian (Edmonton) police officer has plead guilty to assaulting a homeless man at a downtown train station in 2024.
Edmonton Police Sergeant Michael Bates was charged last November after an internal complaint and investigation. On January 20, 2024, Bates was the senior officer patrolling the downtown. Bates and three Edmonton Police constables found victim Tristan McAdam asleep at the train station. The officers woke McAdam and instructed him to leave. McAdam was gathering his things and began walking away when Bates took him to the ground and hit him twice in the head. The agreed statement of fact shows that McAdam hadn’t done anything wrong, and was complying with police demands.
McAdam was handcuffed and brought to a shelter. He wasn’t injured, according to the police narrative. But the officers working with Bates raised concern about his conduct, leading to the internal affairs investigation. Throughout the investigation, Bates remained on duty in an investigative capacity.
Bates admitted to the charge. His lawyer, Mike Danyluik, characterized the assault as a “momentary, uncharacteristic response.” He pointed to Bates’ eighteen years of service without any prior disciplinary record, and noted that in 2009, Bates was given the Edmonton Police medal of valour for an off-duty rescue. Danyluik blamed nation of family stress and medical issues — including a diagnosis that could end his policing career. “At the time — professionally, personally, and physically — he was beaten down, and that allowed him to have, perhaps, a moment he wishes he could take back,” Danyluik remarked.
In accepting the joint submission, the judge (Peter Ayotte) remarked, “the public places great trust in a policeman.” He accepted the joint submission and gave a conditional discharge. Provided Bates abide by a no-contact order with the victim and continues psychological counselling for six months, he will have no criminal history.
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