New Westminster police to probe RCMP arrest of elderly B.C. couple caught on video

VANCOUVER – An outside police force has been called in to investigate how Mounties handled an arrest of two seniors at a Vancouver-area hotel that was captured on a video that is circulating online.

A statement from the RCMP on Saturday says New Westminster police have been asked to conduct an external police investigation into the arrest that will look at the entire incident, including the actions of Coquitlam RCMP.

The video posted on YouTube appears to show an officer dragging a man down a staircase while another officer arrests a woman, who appears to fall at one point.

A statement from RCMP Supt. Sean Maloney said police were called to a Best Western in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam on Wednesday evening after they received a report that fighting had broken out at a tenants meeting.

The meeting was stopped, but Maloney said officers arrested an elderly couple — who witnesses said had refused to leave — and police will be forwarding a report to the Crown about criminal charges.

Maloney said no formal complaint had been made to the detachment about the arrest or the video, but added that a preliminary review of the video confirmed the involvement of Coquitlam RCMP members.

"I respect and understand that the video may cause concern to the public," Maloney said in a release.