Star Wars Day promotion ends in with female stormtrooper cosplayer being tackled and arrested by police for trying to promote her business.
Police officers who were involved in a violent scuffle with a woman who was promoting her business on International Star Wars day by dressing like a stormtrooper in Lethbridge, Alta., Nova Scotia Canada are being investigated.
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A law enforcement officer pulled a a gun on a woman who was dressed in a stormtrooper costume and carrying what turned out to be a plastic plasma rifle as part of a Star Wars-themed business promotion.
The police officers being investigated were responding to 911 call reporting someone in a stormtrooper outfit was carrying a a real firearm the Lethbridge Police Service said in a release issued Tuesday.
Woman in stormtrooper costume tackled and arrested for having fake plastic plasma rifle. Police under investigation.
The woman who was cosplaying as a stormtrooper was, in fact, trying to promote a restaurant on International Star Wars Day or “May the Fourth”.
Fans specifically chose to celebrate the Star Wars franchise on this day because a popular pun on the iconic line in the movies: “May the force be with you.”
A witness caught the incident on tape showing the confused woman get tackled to ground after refusing to get on the ground to get handcuffed showed up.
The video shows the woman with her hands in the air while her boss is yelling at the cops to tell them it’s a toy gun. The women can be heard crying in pain and fear at the end of the video.
“Upon police arrival, the subject dropped the weapon but did not initially comply with further police directions to get down on the ground,” police said in the release.
VIDEO: Distraught woman in stormtrooper costume crying while being arrested.
“The weapon was ultimately confirmed to be a fake firearm [toy plasma rifle branded with the Star Wars logo] and the female subject, who indicated she was an employee promoting a local business, was not charged. The female sustained a minor injury but did not require medical attention.”
People nearby shouted at the police, “are you guys crazy, it’s a plastic gun!” Unfortunately, the police ignored them and proceeded to slam the girl to the ground and handcuff her.
She suffered minor injuries including cuts, bruises, and a bloody nose but did not need immediate medical assistance.
The victim’s employer told CBC News that despite being informed that the weapon was a plastic toy the police appeared to continue with the takedown even after she had dropped the obviously fake plastic plasma rifle to the ground. She was handcuffed while face-down on the pavement, which left her with a bloody nose, he said.
“Our signs on the front of the building say ‘Star Wars.’ We were playing Star Wars music. It’s a stormtrooper, with a stormtrooper blaster. You know, you have to use a little bit of common sense.”
The officers involved in the brutal takedown and arrest of an unarmed female civilian are currently under investigation.
Do you guys think the police were justified to take such drastic actions to tackle and arrest a stormtrooper cosplayer with a fake plasma rifle? Let us know in the comments below.