RCMP to review arrest of teen with autism

St. Albert RCMP say they're reviewing a case where officers arrested an “adult male” acting “erratically” at a playground who was in fact a 16-year-old boy with autism, according to his family.

The Edmonton boy's mother created an online fundraiser for lawyer fees this week, calling it a “terrifying ” ordeal that caused her son emotional trauma.

The teen was put in a cell at the RCMP detachment in St. Albert after police received two 911 calls a little more than an hour apart about a “suspicious adult male exhibiting erratic behaviour” at the Lacombe playground Sunday evening.

Police said the teen began “engaging in self harm” in custody and was taken to hospital by paramedics.

Laura Hawthorne wrote on the Gofundme page that she and her son were at his grandparents' home in St. Albert on Sunday, and while they ate dinner, her son went to the playground — a place Hawthorne said he's been many times, and described as being in the grandparents' “backyard.”

“He is not incapable of being unsupervised for small amounts of time, if he's in a familiar place and within eyeshot of us,” she wrote.

The woman said her son was on the swings while the family ate dinner, but when they finished eating, they couldn't find him.

The boy's mother alleged that in police custody, he was crying and smashing his head against the cell, and he has soft tissue injuries to his wrists and head.

“He's a minor. He's autistic. This can't happen. I don't know who's more traumatized, him or us,” she said.

RCMP held a news conference about the incident late Wednesday, saying they wanted to address the case three days after it happened because it “has been the subject of public commentary.”

St. Albert RCMP Insp. Ryan Comaniuk said officers didn't know the boy was a youth until they received a missing persons report that matched his description just before 7:30 p.m.

He had been taken into custody just after 5:30 p.m., and then had to be taken to hospital at about 6:45 p.m., according to police.

“Alberta RCMP will be reviewing this incident and the actions of the involved officers,” Comaniuk said.

There were no charges laid against the boy. RCMP said when they encountered him, they weren't able to discern his identity and he was taken into custody “for his safety and the safety of the public.”

It's unclear what exactly the “erratic behaviour” was that caused public and police concern, but RCMP Cpl. Deanna Fontaine added the actions were described as someone who was “potentially impaired” by drugs.

In a statement Thursday, lawyer Patrick Higgerty said he is working with the boy's family in relation to the incident, and they're currently investigating “with a view to recommending to our clients the appropriate legal course of action.”

Higgerty asked for the family's privacy to be respected, offering a statement of thanks for the support they've received.

He added there will be a news conference “once the family is more composed and we have sufficiently furthered our investigation.”

He's a minor. He's autistic. This can't happen. I don't know who's more traumatized, him or us.