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Police apologize after 911 call where white woman reports black man in a park

Ottawa police are apologizing for their role in what they call "an unfortunate incident" in which a white woman called 911 on a black man in a city park.

The incident, which was captured on video and posted on Twitter, shows the woman talking to police as she passes a lone man on a bridge.

A man who posted the video said the woman called police on his brother because he wasn't two metres away from her while crossing the bridge.

The video shows the woman describing the man's brother to police, and at one point she puts the call on speaker and the 911 operator is heard telling the man that he is intimidating the woman.

The woman eventually walks away while still on the phone with the 911 operator.

Ottawa police say it was not an appropriate use of the 911 system, and are promising to offer the man involved in the incident "a full and unreserved apology."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2020

The Canadian Press


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