Police Draw Guns On Star Wars Stormtrooper Cosplayer Carrying Plastic Toy Blaster
The Star Wars celebration known as May the 4th did not go as planned for one cosplayer and [...]
The Star Wars celebration known as May the 4th did not go as planned for one cosplayer and employee at the Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina. The cosplayer was clad in full Stormtrooper gear, complete with a toy version of their trademark blaster, but unfortunately, it seems someone called the police and reported seeing someone with a weapon. As a video illustrates (via TMZ), things were fine at the beginning, but then Lethbridge Police approached the establishment with guns drawn, shouting at her to drop her weapon, and as you can see, she did just that pretty much immediately. She was then told to get on the ground, but after not complying with those demands she was forced onto the ground and cuffed, and according to her and her manager, she was injured during this.
The Lethbridge Police Service's Chief Scott Woods said that an investigation has been opened regarding the actions of the officers, which will include social media video. Police were responding to a firearm call when they got there, and while they say she did drop her weapon, they also say that she "did not initially comply with further police directions to get down on the ground."
Her and the restaurant's manager say they tried to tell the police that she couldn't get down due to the bulkiness of the costume, but they weren't listening.
They also say that she did sustain a minor injury during the arrest but did not need medical attention. The woman says that the police roughed her up as they put the cuffs on her and shoved her face into the ground, causing her nose to bleed. After they confirmed the firearm was fake, she was let go and not charged.
As you might imagine, she and her co-workers were pretty angry and upset after the incident, but the police say they were just doing their jobs and responding to a firearm report.
