Star Trek’s William Shatner Speaks Out Against Police Who Drew Guns On Star Wars Cosplayer

A shocking video made its way online this week wherein a Star Wars Day celebration on May the 4th nearly became deadly. A cosplayer and employee at the Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada was dressed for the occasion in full Stormtrooper gear which included a replica blaster. This appeared to have caught the attention of the police who arrived on the scene and approached the with their guns drawn and shouting at the cosplay to drop the weapon. She was then forced onto the ground and handcuffed with her manager confirming she was injured in the process. The incident has caught the attention of countless people around the internet, including Star Trek’s own William Shatner (and fellow Canadian) who had words to say.

“Captain’s Log Stardate 49: Sending my contempt this morning to the @lethpolice of Alberta, Canada & @LPSChief1,” Shatner tweeted. “Rifles drawn for a plastic toy Cosplayer? Didn’t comply right away? Are you blind Chief? Watch the video to see how quickly she complied. This cannot be covered up.”

When taken to task by a fan for defending the cosplayer, who some thought shouldn’t be holding the gun in public, Shatner replied: “Oh please! Did you see the gun? Also when she’s on her knees and the officer has his rifle ready to shoot; he is a mere few feet from the gun. If he couldn’t see it was a toy he should retire, yet they continued and slammed her to the ground and bloodied her nose.”

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.”

The cosplayer 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.