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Incident Title
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Victim experiencing panic attack and suicidal thoughts encouraged by officer to "go ahead" and kill himself
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Incident ID
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221188
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Incident Description
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Tyler Lychak was experiencing a panic attack and thoughts of suicide when he was assaulted by Edmonton Police Officer Binoy Prabhu on November 3, 2017. The incident began when Lychek went to the west Edmonton Police Station to report concerns about someone who may have been selling drugs to minors outside of a nearby store. Upon exiting the police station, Lychak’s foot hit one of the sliding doors and dislodged it, causing a loud noise (which officer Derek Cranna testified to in a disciplinary hearing). Officer Prabhu and another officer followed Lychak to the parking lot where there was an argument. Lychak was arrested for mischief, placed in handcuffs, and escorted back into the police station. Lychak was brought into a holding cell and was searched by the officers. Officer Prabhu found a pressurized spray can of Sabre ‘Dog and Coyote Attack Deterrent’ in Lychak’s pocket and Lychak was informed that he was under arrest for possession of a weapon.
Lychak stated that he was frightened of Officer Prabhu and he began hyperventilating. While escorting Lychak to the phone room, Prabhu grabbed Lychak and pulled him with enough force that Lychak fell to the ground. Lychak told investigating officers that he hit his head on the wall and suffered bruising to his hip and back along with soreness to his neck and shoulder. Prabhu’s use of force was captured on police station closed-circuit cameras. Lychak used the phone to call 911, stating that he was having a panic attack and the police were not helping him. After Lychak made the phone call, Prabhu returned him to the holding cell. Lychak told the officer he was going to try to kill himself and that he had attempted suicide in the past. Prabhu responded with “go ahead”. In the disciplinary hearing that followed this incident, Prabhu admitted to the above statement and the use of excessive force.
"I basically relive it every day," Lychak told CBC News. "It goes through my head every day and it's really hard to block it out…I want to do this so that in the future, people with mental disabilities or mental problems can get treated better by the police. I believe that training is necessary to save lives."
In 2015, Prabu was charged with assaulting his wife. The charge was withdrawn in 2016 when Prabhu admitted that he had caused his wife to fear personal injury. Prabhu entered a one-year peace bond as a result. Prabhu received a criminal charge led to two separate findings of discreditable conduct. The first finding occurred two weeks after Prabhu's encounter with Lychak. He was given a 30-hour suspension without pay and ordered to seek counseling. Prabhu went on a six-month medical leave in December 2017 and sought psychological help. He also admitted to a neglect of duty misconduct charge that dated back to October 2017.
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Incident Date
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11/03/2017
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Incident City
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Edmonton
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Type of Abuse
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Physical violence
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Withholding aid
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Disregard of dignity
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Arrest
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Injuries Incurred
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Tenderness to the back of head, right hip, and left knee;
Emotional distress
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Weapon used
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Hands
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Victim Gender
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Man
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Victim Disabilities
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Mental health;
Suicidal;
Panic attacks
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Victim Sexual Orientation
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Not listed
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Authority Involved
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Edmonton Police Service
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Officer Name
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Binoy Prabhu
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Officer Badge Number
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2584
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Court Cases
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In the Matter of the Police Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. P-17; and
In the Matter of the Police Service Regulation, Alta. Reg. 356/1990;
And in the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings Against Regimental Number 2584 Constable Binoy PRABHU Of the Edmonton Police Service
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Submission Source
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External database import
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Submission Source Affiliation
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Alberta Police Misconduct Database
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Additional Details
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APMD original incident ID: i-tfeCBlQOXXdAUx
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Multimedia Type
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PDF
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Archive Publication Date
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2022-08-09
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Archive Last Update
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2022-08-09T19:07
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Tags
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Unnecessary Exercise of Authority;
Discreditable conduct;
Excessive force;
Suicide;
Alberta Police Misconduct Database
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Confidentiality/Restrictions
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From published source
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Complaint Resolution
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Officer Prabhu pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct and inappropriate use of force under the police act at a disciplinary hearing. Prabhu was demoted for four months, resulting in a $3,100 loss in pay.
Alberta Police Misconduct Database
