Squamish RCMP is currently investigating at least one of its members for excessive force following an arrest at Klahanie Campground on June 26.
Roxanne Cernos, mother of 21-year-old John T. Cernos, alleges that RCMP used unnecessary force when detaining her son after he allegedly held a knife to a 37-year-old man's throat.
"I am not defending his actions, and it's important justice be done," said Cernos. "But that goes both ways.
"He was in hospital for two weeks. They thought he had a broken jaw, a broken cheekbone. He had nerve damage, he had extensive bruising, his eye was pooled with blood, he had bruising to his ribs."
The incident occurred on June 26 when Cernos - suspected of being drunk - demanded a ride to Whistler from an acquaintance who was driving a pick-up truck.
When the driver refused to give him a lift, Cernos allegedly pulled out a folding knife and held it to the driver's throat. According to a police inventory report , the knife had an eight-inch blade, although Cernos refutes certain details of reports of the incident.
"The victim and his brother had a trailer in residence on the site, and the man with the knife became distracted when the [47-year-old] brother came out of the trailer," said Cpl. Dave Ritchie, who confirmed that RCMP are investigating allegations of excessive force.
The driver was able to use the distraction to force the blade away from his throat.
The two struggled and the alleged assailant was disarmed. The two brothers were then able to tackle him and knock him down to the ground, holding him there until RCMP arrived.According to Cernos' mother, witnesses on the scene said her son was not severely injured until police arrived. She is also trying to confirm reports the incident was videotaped.
"We are still looking for more people who may have witnessed it," said the elder Cernos. "We know the full name of one witness, and I have the first name of someone else. We're still looking for the third person, the one with the camera."
Last week Cernos took out an ad in the Chief requesting that any witnesses come forward.
It is unknown how long the RCMP investigation is expected to take.
Cpl. Dean Adams, the officer in charge of handling complaints against the local detachment, is currently on limited duty due to illness.
