Police with guns drawn have allegedly tackled and arrested a sobbing 19-year-old girl wearing a Stormtrooper costume while working outside a Star Wars-themed restaurant in Lethbridge, Alberta.
The teenager, whose name is Ashley, was dancing outside the Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina restaurant on May the fourth, to mark the day Star Wars fan celebrate the franchise. The day is a play on the phrase “May the force be with you.”
Footage of the incident was captured by a witness who later uploaded the arrest to social media.
The video shows a number of officers surrounding the confused girl who was clearly struggling to hear their commands under her helmet.
Officers arrived at the restaurant after receiving a number of 911 calls that there was somebody outside the premises with a gun.
“Apparently a couple of people had called 911 and said that there was somebody with a gun,” Brad Whalen, the restaurant owner said. “A number of police officers had shown up to our business with guns drawn on our employee.”
According to Whalen, the young girl was left with a bloody nose after police tackled her to the ground before handcuffing her.
Lethbridge’s chief of police is calling for an investigation into the actions of the responding officers to determine whether their response was appropriate.
Whalen said the responding officers should have had more common sense.
“When all the things fit in the box – you’ve got the signs, you’ve got the music, the atmosphere,” he said. “A duck is a duck when it’s walking like a duck.”
The young girl is not facing any charges.
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