A Star Wars fan dressed as a Stormtrooper was taken down by Canadian police for handling a toy blaster. A bar in Alberta, Canada was celebrating May the Fourth outdoors in their parking lot when the incident occurred. Apparently someone in the area assumed that the teenage girl in the Stormtrooper suit was carrying a real weapon and called it into local law enforcement. Police quickly arrived with their guns aimed directly at the young woman, who immediately followed orders and dropped the toy gun.
However, things took a turn for the worse when the 19-year old woman, who is also an employee of the bar, was not able to get on the ground quick enough. Apparently Stormtrooper suits aren’t very flexible. Video footage of the incident proves that the woman was attempting to get on the ground while Canadian police started to lose their cool. Once she was able to get down to her knees, three officers helped her the rest of the way down, allegedly using force (not the Force). The unidentified woman suffered a bloody nose during the ordeal because she claims the officers slammed her face on the ground.
It’s unclear why the police needed to go any further after discovering that the Stormtrooper was carrying a toy blaster, especially since it’s well-known that even Stormtroopers with real blasters in the Star Wars franchise have terrible aim. “Upon police arrival, the subject dropped the weapon but did not initially comply with further police directions to get down on the ground,” law enforcement said in a statement. “The weapon was ultimately confirmed to be a fake firearm and the female subject, who indicated she was an employee promoting a local business, was not charged.” The report went on to say, “The female sustained a minor injury but did not require medical attention.”
An investigation has been launched to look into the police actions during the incident. Chief Scott Woods has initiated an investigation after reviewing social media and video footage to determine whether or not the officers acted appropriately. It’s clear from the video that the woman was having a hard time getting down on the ground and her boss can be heard trying to explain this to the officers, who seemingly ignore him.
According to the woman’s boss, Bradley Whalen, “She kept yelling at them that she couldn’t kneel down because, in that stormtrooper costume, you can’t even sit down in it, like it’s impossible to sit down.” The woman is eventually seen laying face down on the pavement and crying, as two cops attempt to handcuff her. “You could tell by looking at it, even 10 feet away, that it was a plastic toy,” Whalen said. It isn’t clear if the woman or the restaurant will be placing charges, but they are all pretty angry about the incident. They were just trying to celebrate Star Wars Day in peace. TMZ was the first to report on the Stormtrooper incident.
